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ANT370 > The Postmortem Interval > Flashcards

The Postmortem Interval Flashcards

1
Q

What does decomposition include?

A

loss of skin, muscle, internal organs, and other body components

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2
Q

TRUE or FALSE: decomposition continues until there is NOTHING left

A

true

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3
Q

When is estimating time since death most accurate?

A

within the first 24 hours

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4
Q

Livor mortis

A

the cooling of the blood after death

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5
Q

Algor mortis

A

body temperature moves towards ambient temperature

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6
Q

Rigor mortis

A

as muscle breaks down, they release a chemical that causes them to tense up

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7
Q

Changes in vitreous humor

A

eyeball fluid (really resilient to decomposition)

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8
Q

Forensic taphonomy

A

the study of what happens to bodies from the time they are deposited to when they are found

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9
Q

What are the four topics of PMI?

A
  1. process of decomposition 2. schedules of decomposition 3. timetables of animal scavenging 4. methods of specialists in other fields
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10
Q

Autolysis

A

digestive fluids start digesting the body until they are all used up

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11
Q

Putrefaction

A

gut bacteria start eating other parts of the body and produce a gas that causes blotaing

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12
Q

How do insects impact decomposition?

A

flies and beetles use decomposition as an easy food source

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13
Q

How do scavengers impact decomposition?

A

dismember, damage, scatter around, and expose the body to the elements

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14
Q

How does plant activity impact decomposition?

A

roots grow towards good nutrients (ex. root etching)

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15
Q

How was ground water impact decomposition?

A

it contains sediments than can mineralize bone

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16
Q

How does fire impact decomposition

A

heat! dries out the body really fast and removes organics

17
Q

How does the sun impact decomposition?

A

rapidy dries out exposed side

18
Q

How does wind impact decomposition?

A

carries particles away

19
Q

How does water impact decomposition? (two ways)

A

moving bodies of water can push it into things; adipocere (fat & water) can create a little protective layer

20
Q

TRUE or FALSE: warmer weather leads to slower decomposition

A

FALSE

21
Q

Cycles of ____ and ____ disrupt connective tissue and cause the body to break down faster.

A

freezing; thawing

22
Q

____ humidity softens the soft tissue and increases decomposition.

A

high

23
Q

TRUE or FALSE: Decomposition is continuous, not finite.

A

TRUE

24
Q

What did the Anthropology Research Facility in UTK discover?

A

Within a year, bodies and warm and moist environments are fully skeletonized.

25
Q

What did researchers in Arizona discover?

A

Bodies in hot and dry environments become skeletonized anywhere from nine months to three years.

26
Q

What did researchers in Canada discover?

A

Bodies in cold climates take anywhere from two months to eight years to completely skeletonize.

27
Q

Why are buried and submerged remains difficult to research?

A

you have to dig up the body in order to observe the effects

28
Q

What did Rodrigues and Bass discover about submerged remains? (ratio)

A

1 week on the surface = 2 weeks underwater = 8 weeks underground

29
Q

What did William Haglund discover about animal scavenging?

A

the longer the postmortem interval, the fewer the number of bones recovered

30
Q

What is the most common insect used to estimate PMI?

A

the blowfly

31
Q

TRUE or FALSE: adult blowflies are counted in order to estimate PMI

A

FALSE

32
Q

When does estimation with blowflies become inaccurate?

A

after the appearance of pupa casings as that indicates multiple generations have passed

33
Q

What is the PMI if there are only flies?

A

less than 3 days

34
Q

What is the PMI if there are mainly flies?

A

3-13 days

35
Q

What is the PMI if there is an equal number flies and beetles?

A

13-25 days

36
Q

What is the PMI if there are only beetles?

A

25+ days

37
Q

What is the independent method of forensic botany?

A

estimating time since death by examining the rings of plant stems and roots

38
Q

What is the comparative method of forensic botany?

A

estimating time since death by comparing nearby plant growth to farther away plants

39
Q

What are the limits of forensic botany?

A

can only estimate PMI for individuals who died over a year ago and only in year long chunks

ANT370 (17 decks)

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