Corpse

Nature, Forensics, And The Struggle To Pinpoint Time Of Death

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science
Cover of the book Corpse by Jessica Snyder Sachs, Basic Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jessica Snyder Sachs ISBN: 9780465044856
Publisher: Basic Books Publication: July 30, 2013
Imprint: Basic Books Language: English
Author: Jessica Snyder Sachs
ISBN: 9780465044856
Publisher: Basic Books
Publication: July 30, 2013
Imprint: Basic Books
Language: English

When detectives come upon a murder victim, there's one thing they want to know above all else: When did the victim die? The answer can narrow a group of suspects, make or break an alibi, even assign a name to an unidentified body. But outside the fictional world of murder mysteries, time-of-death determinations have remained infamously elusive, bedeviling criminal investigators throughout history. Armed with an array of high-tech devices and tests, the world's best forensic pathologists are doing their best to shift the balance, but as Jessica Snyder Sachs demonstrates so eloquently in Corpse, this is a case in which nature might just trump technology: Plants, chemicals, and insects found near the body are turning out to be the fiercest weapons in our crime-fighting arsenal. In this highly original book, Sachs accompanies an eccentric group of entomologists, anthropologists, biochemists, and botanists--a new kind of biological "Mod Squad"--on some of their grisliest, most intractable cases. She also takes us into the courtroom, where "post-O.J." forensic science as a whole is coming under fire and the new multidisciplinary art of forensic ecology is struggling to establish its credibility. Corpse is the fascinating story of the 2000year search to pinpoint time of death. It is also the terrible and beautiful story of what happens to our bodies when we die.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

When detectives come upon a murder victim, there's one thing they want to know above all else: When did the victim die? The answer can narrow a group of suspects, make or break an alibi, even assign a name to an unidentified body. But outside the fictional world of murder mysteries, time-of-death determinations have remained infamously elusive, bedeviling criminal investigators throughout history. Armed with an array of high-tech devices and tests, the world's best forensic pathologists are doing their best to shift the balance, but as Jessica Snyder Sachs demonstrates so eloquently in Corpse, this is a case in which nature might just trump technology: Plants, chemicals, and insects found near the body are turning out to be the fiercest weapons in our crime-fighting arsenal. In this highly original book, Sachs accompanies an eccentric group of entomologists, anthropologists, biochemists, and botanists--a new kind of biological "Mod Squad"--on some of their grisliest, most intractable cases. She also takes us into the courtroom, where "post-O.J." forensic science as a whole is coming under fire and the new multidisciplinary art of forensic ecology is struggling to establish its credibility. Corpse is the fascinating story of the 2000year search to pinpoint time of death. It is also the terrible and beautiful story of what happens to our bodies when we die.

More books from Basic Books

Cover of the book Advice and Dissent by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book Naked at Our Age by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book Dismantling America by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book The Pentagon's Wars by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book Given Up For Dead by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book Letters to a Young Gymnast by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book Learning to Lead by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book Extra Innings by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book Something Spectacular by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book A Nation Forged by Crisis by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book The Dictator's Shadow by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book Leading from the Center by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book Dirty Girls by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book The Spirit of Vatican II by Jessica Snyder Sachs
Cover of the book In Pursuit of the Unknown by Jessica Snyder Sachs
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy