U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Funding & Awards
 A Multidisciplinary Validation Study of Non-human Animal Models for Forensic Decomposition Research
Award Information
Awardee
              The University of Tennessee
Award #
              2013-DN-BX-K037
Funding Category
              Competitive
Location
                    Knoxville, TN
Congressional District
              2
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2013
Total funding (to date)
              $226,382
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY 13 Basic Scientific Research to Support Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2013, $226,382)
As submitted by the proposer:
The past three decades of human decomposition have demonstrated that certain factors promote decomposition, such as high temperatures and insect access, yet the rate of decomposition varies considerably in macro- and microenvironments. The Anthropology Research Facility (ARF) at the University of Tennessee was the first to utilize human cadavers to document decomposition in a variety of controlled settings, laying the foundation for human decomposition research. Not all researchers have access to human cadavers, however, and therefore have employed nonhuman animals as surrogates for humans in decomposition studies. The results from some of these animal model studies have been used in the courts to support postmortem interval estimations of human decedents. Nonetheless, the scientific validity of substituting data from nonhuman carcasses for human cadavers has enjoyed limited evaluation. The proposed project will directly compare the decomposition dynamics of humans and two animal models often used in decomposition research  pigs and rabbits.

Human, pig and rabbit subjects will be placed simultaneously in the same ecological niche within the ARF to ensure soil and environmental conditions are identical for all subjects. Five subjects of each species will be studied in three separate trials in which season and microenvironment will vary. Our multidisciplinary data will include not only systematic visual observations of the primary decomposition stages, but also arthropod diversity on and around the subjects. We will utilize a quantitative scoring method of gross decomposition and insect taxonomy tied to a temperature-dependent time scale, accumulated degree hours (ADH) to provide a comprehensive picture of how body size and biological composition influence decomposition. Ultimately we will determine whether, in the same settings, pig and rabbits are appropriate analogs for humans in terms of decomposition research and estimates of postmortem intervals.

Well-designed validation studies are at the heart of basic scientific research and are specifically requested in the recent National Academy of Science (NAS) report as a means to elevate the scientific merit of forensic practice. Our multidisciplinary validation study of the performance of nonhuman models for decomposition research will provide the first scientific verification or refutation that pigs or rabbits can serve as proxies for human decomposition in forensic contexts. The outcomes of the study will impact how future research is conducted with regard to animal proxies as they relate to entomology and anthropology for postmortem interval estimation. Our multidisciplinary approach has a high probability of stimulating future applied work in forensic chemistry, biology, and soils analysis in postmortem interval estimation. Our deliverables include journal articles, conference papers and lectures in the Forensic Anthropology Centers annual short courses provided to law enforcement and medicolegal personnel as well as rising students in forensic science.

ca/ncf



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Comparative Decomposition of Humans and Pigs: Soil Biogeochemistry, Microbial Activity and Metabolomic Profiles
                  Multidisciplinary Validation Study of Nonhuman Animal Models for Forensic Decomposition Research
                  Differential Decomposition Among Pig, Rabbit, and Human Remains
                  Differential Scavenging Among Pig, Rabbit, and Human Subjects




  
Grant-Funded Events
        
                      Anthropology & Microbial Forensics

  
Date Created: September 8, 2013
    
          Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              Current Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Forthcoming Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Expired Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
    
      
            
            
            
      Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
    
      
            
            
            
      Fellowship & Student Programs
    
      
            
            
            
      Travel Scholarships
    
      
            
            
            
      NIJ Challenge ProgramSimilar Awards
        
                      NIJ Innovations in Measuring Community Perceptions Challenge Winner: MCHawks
                  A longitudinal cohort mixed methods study of the impact of mental health on retention and turnover among early career police officers in South Carolina
                  Evaluation of the Luxon Ion Source for Rapid Screening in Forensic Laboratories
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov