From a Small Plot in Knoxville to a Worldwide Footprint

The first outdoor human decomposition research facility was established by Dr. William Bass in 1980 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Initial research at the Anthropology Research Facility (ARF) examined some of the large-scale environmental factors that contribute to decomposition and time since death estimates. As taphonomic research grew into a holistic and interdisciplinary field, the importance of macro-and microenvironmental factors became clear, and additional facilities opened in different areas of the globe. Research conducted at outdoor decomposition facilities now investigates complex relationships between the decomposing body and its environment in diverse landscapes across the world. These facilities play an important role in forensic science by providing real-world laboratory environments, research material, opportunities for research, and documented modern skeletal collections. In addition, they provide opportunities for training both professionals and students in many fields that require human remains, including human remains recovery, death investigation, and cadaver dog training. In the United States today, the resulting ethically donated human skeletal collections have increasing importance in understanding the changes in modern human bodies. This article examines the growth and function of what have been colloquially referred to as "body farms" over the past four decades

Archaeology · Footprint · Geography · Plot (graphics · Statistics · Environmental Science · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Forensic Entomology and Diptera Studies · Mathematics · Paleopathology and ancient diseases

• A Review of Research Aims for Historical Anatomical Skeletal Collections in the United States

  Open Access•Allyson M Simon, N V Passalacqua et al.•American Journal of Biological…•2026

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