How trees could help researchers find human bodies in forests

[Mike Wehner]

• Researchers are developing ways to use cue from plant life to find human bodies in wooded areas.
• Foot patrols and rescue teams often struggle to find bodies in thick forests, but plants may react strongly to the presence of decaying humans and offer a beacon to alert search teams that something is buried or decaying nearby.
• In the future, plants may be a vital tool in finding missing people in forested regions.

A surprising number of humans end up dead in wooded areas. Whether it's by a tragic accident to their bodies having been placed there by an individual attempting to hide the remains, search parties can find it incredibly difficult to actually find human remains in thick woods, even with the help of canines.

Now, a new study published in Trends in Plant Science offers the possibility that plants could be a major ally in the search for decomposing bodies. The idea being that as a human body breaks down, it can dramatically alter the soil composition and thereby affect any plants growing nearby. Those plans may then act as a beacon, alerting search teams to areas of interest.

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How trees could help researchers find human bodies in forests originally appeared on BGR.com on Sun, 6 Sep 2020 at 10:33:14 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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