Study with pig cadavers aims to improve Swiss forensics
Published: Wednesday, Mar 6th 2024, 12:30
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Pig carcasses decompose faster in Switzerland than in South Africa. This finding by researchers at the University of Bern has implications for forensics. It should help to determine the time of death of corpses more accurately.
The method previously used to assess the decomposition of corpses is based on a South African model, the University of Bern announced on Wednesday. The researchers wanted to find out exactly how decomposition takes place under Swiss conditions. The results were published in the "Journal of Forensic Sciences".
According to the University of Bern, such experiments on human corpses are possible in some places, but not in most countries. Therefore, pig cadavers were used. "Although the decomposition of humans and pigs differs in many respects, important findings can still be drawn from such experiments that can improve forensic methods," said Sandra Lösch, head of the study, according to the press release.
Six dead pigs in the forest
For their study, they placed six pig carcasses in a forest in Krauchthal BE in June 2021 and observed how the carcasses decomposed until November of the same year.
The South African model is therefore not suitable for Switzerland. In this country, carcasses are colonized more quickly by fly maggots, which accelerates the process. In addition, frequent rainfall and scavengers such as foxes influence the decomposition process in Switzerland, as the researchers showed in the study. In their experiment, they were able to precisely describe the decomposition process.
More precise determination of the time of death
Ultimately, this significantly increases the accuracy in calculating the time of death, wrote the University of Bern. Such analyses in the wild are important for forensics: "Due to the natural conditions in Switzerland, we regularly have to deal with forensic cases that have been in the wild for a long period of time before they were found," said Lösch.
These include, for example, people who fall to their deaths while hiking in a remote area and are only discovered years later.
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