[Researchers] [Studies]
There are various environmental regions within the United States. The decomposition of human remains will therefore vary from region to region.
The first human decomposition facility, known as the “body farm”, was created by Dr. William Bass at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 1980 and received its first donated body in 1981. It consisted of one acre near the UT Medical Center.
Over the next two decades a large amount of research, concerning the processes associated with human decomposition (such as environmental alterations, animal scavenging, insect presence), came from this facility. Most of the decomposition information we use today comes from data gleaned from this facility. This information however, is limited in its use for decomposition processes occurring in different environments.
The environment in southeast Texas is quite different than the environment of east Tennessee. East Tennessee’s mean annual temperature is 67°F (19°C). The Houston area’s mean annual temperature is 75°F (23°C). Temperature, along with many other factors, affect the decomposition process, and therefore difference in temperature will produce different decomposition results.
As the fourth largest populated city in the United States, the probability of finding humans decomposing in natural environmental settings is greater than what might be encountered in less populated cities. Research in human decomposition processes in the subtropical humid environment of Houston and its surrounding areas can help to determine more accurate assessments of time since death.
The data that will come from this state-of-the art facility can be used both nationally and internationally in places that share similar environmental factors.