Emily Chan
Scattered across the ground at a “body farm” are the remains of humans, just flesh casually rotting from the bones. There are dozens of bodies, as well as random organs and limbs strewn about.
You might be wondering what happened for such a morbid scene to have taken place. Don’t worry; these bodies were not victims of a horrifying mass murder. They are actually there at the body farm for science.
The body farm is officially known as the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility (FARF). The outdoor research lab is reserved for the study of the decomposition of human bodies.
It is 26 acres and is located at Freeman Ranch at the Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. It is also the largest of its kind in the world.
The facility is just one of several body farms in the United States. The first body farm was established by Dr. William Bass at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1981.
The idea stemmed from the need to better estimate post-mortem interval in forensic science, which refers to the time elapsed after death.
These studies have helped provide valuable information that has been used to improve criminal investigations. Other notable body farms are located at Western Carolina University and Sam Houston State University.
At Freeman Ranch, there are about 50 donated bodies. The bodies are placed in different environments to simulate a variety of scenarios.
Some cadavers are stored in cages for the study of bacterial decomposition, while others lay out in the sun so researchers can monitor the effects of scavenging.
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