Here we go, all ready to go. We've got a lump of flesh here which they're feeding on at the moment. Oh, yeah, look at those. Can I grab one of those? Just pick one of those up. I mean, this guy here. I'm not sure about holding a flesh-eating beetle larvae. Look at that. Oh, if you feel asleep and fell in there that would be your lot, wouldn't it? The role of insects in decomposition has lead to a whole new science, and one which the museum has embraced. By looking at the development of maggots at a murder scene, scientists are able to say when death probably occurred. Forensic entomology, as it's called, is now a crucial weapon in the armoury of the police. The secrets of forensic entomology have largely been unravelled through work conducted not on humans, but on the pigs. Now that's changing, thanks to an extraordinary research facility in Tennessee. Museum scientist Amoret Whitaker has spent years studying dead pigs in order to understand the decaying process, but here she's able to work with real human remains.


我们开始吧，准备就绪。这里有块肉，是给他们吃的。 好吧，快看那些。 我能抓一只吗 抓一只吧？看这家伙，我不太想抓着一只食肉的幼虫。 快看，如果你犯困了，掉了进去，那就要命了，对吧？ 研究腐解过程中昆虫的作用，已经发展成为了一门新兴科学。馆中人员已经着手研究，通过观察蛆在谋杀现场的生长状况。科学家可以大致确定死亡时间，这被称作法医昆虫学，它现在成为了刑侦有利工具，法医昆虫学快速发展。早期实验对象不是人类，而是猪，现在则能针对人类，克里斯·凡·特勒肯。这要归功于田纳西州完备的研究资源，博物馆科学家艾米瑞特·惠特克。穷数年之功研究猪的尸体，以了解腐解过程，但在这里，她能够研究人类遗骨。