Beyond the body farm : a legendary bone detective explores murders, mysteries, and the revolution in forensic science Cover Image

Book

Beyond the body farm : a legendary bone detective explores murders, mysteries, and the revolution in forensic science / Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson.

Bass, William M., 1928- (Author). Jefferson, Jon. (Added Author).

Summary:

There is no scientist in the world like Dr. Bill Bass. A pioneer in forensic anthropology, Bass created the world's first laboratory dedicated to the study of human decompositionthree acres of land on a hillside in Tennessee where human bodies are left to the elements. His research at "the Body Farm" has revolutionized forensic science, helping police crack cold cases and pinpoint time of death. But during a forensics career that spans half a century, Bass and his work have ranged far beyond the gates of the Body Farm. In this riveting book, the bone sleuth explores the rise of modern forensic science, using fascinating cases from his career to take readers into the real world of C.S.I.

Record details

ISBN: 9780060875299
ISBN: 0060875291
Physical Description: xxii, 282 pages, [16] pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Edition: 1st edition.
Publisher: New York : William Morrow, ©2007.

Content descriptions

General Note:

Includes index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Introduction: A half-century of forensic evolution and revolution -- The golden bowl, the burning palace : applying modern science to ancient bones -- Splash landing, part 1 : finding answers in teeth and skull morphology -- Shedding light on a victims bones : using UV to illuminate identity -- Forensics at the speed of flight : interpreting teeth and trauma -- The rockets' red glare, bodies bursting in air : dealing with a mass disaster -- Dead for the holidays : determining time since death -- A Texas scorcher : finding a fingerprint in a frontal sinus -- No butts about it : convicting a killer by matching bite marks -- Listening to the bugs : pinpointing time since death with forensic entomology -- The professor versus the computer : harnessing software to determine race and ID a victim -- Science at the cutting edge : scanning a knife mark with electron microscopy -- Leoma Patterson, part 1 : reopening an old coffinand an old case with DNA -- Splash landing, part 2 : searching the depths with sonar -- Leoma Patterson, part 2 : putting a face on the dead -- The day the bopper died : digging for the truth, and finding it with x-rays -- Leoma Patterson, part 3 : pushing the limits of DNA testing.