Shari Forbes

Last updated

Shari L. Forbes
Born15 October 1977
Brewarrina
NationalityAustralian
OccupationProfessor of thanatology
Known forexpertise in human body decay

Professor Shari L. Forbes (born 15 October 1977) is an Australian and Canadian forensic scientist and researcher. She is a thanatology expert on the decomposition of human bodies. She created a body farm in Australia and between 2019 and 2022 established a similar facility in Canada, connected to the Forensic Science department at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR). [1] As of January 2023, she is a full professor in chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Windsor, and is hoping to start the first body farm in Ontario in the coming years. [2]

Life

Forbes was born in 1977 in Brewarrina. [3] Her family were graziers where the death of animals was routine. She completed her schooling at Hornsby Girls' High School in Sydney. [4] Her first degree was in Applied Chemistry and Forensic Science and she went on to a science based doctorate. [5]

In 2005 she was involved in developing a forensic science course at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. In 2011 she left to take up work in Australia. [6] She became a Professor at the University of Sydney. [5]

Up to 2018 she was involved in creating the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (Australia's first body farm) where she was involved with research into decomposing bodies. [6] [7]

In 2018 she became the Canada 150 research chair in thanatology at UQTR. Her seven-year research programme was funded at $350,000 per year and the university met the cost ($350,000) of Canada's first body farm. [6] The nearest similar facility was one at Northern Michigan University, but Forbes was specifically targeting a forest based site. [6] The new body farm is at Bécancour and its correct name is the "Secure Site for Research in Thanatology" (or REST[ES], in French). [8] [9] As of 2023 she left UQTR and is now a full professor in chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Windsor.

Forbes is a fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decomposition</span> Process in which organic substances are broken down into simpler organic matter

Decomposition or rot is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts. The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biosphere. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death. Animals, such as earthworms, also help decompose the organic materials. Organisms that do this are known as decomposers or detritivores. Although no two organisms decompose in the same way, they all undergo the same sequential stages of decomposition. The science which studies decomposition is generally referred to as taphonomy from the Greek word taphos, meaning tomb. Decomposition can also be a gradual process for organisms that have extended periods of dormancy.

Putrefaction is the fifth stage of death, following pallor mortis, livor mortis, algor mortis, and rigor mortis. This process references the breaking down of a body of an animal post-mortem. In broad terms, it can be viewed as the decomposition of proteins, and the eventual breakdown of the cohesiveness between tissues, and the liquefaction of most organs. This is caused by the decomposition of organic matter by bacterial or fungal digestion, which causes the release of gases that infiltrate the body's tissues, and leads to the deterioration of the tissues and organs. The approximate time it takes putrefaction to occur is dependent on various factors. Internal factors that affect the rate of putrefaction include the age at which death has occurred, the overall structure and condition of the body, the cause of death, and external injuries arising before or after death. External factors include environmental temperature, moisture and air exposure, clothing, burial factors, and light exposure. Body farms are facilities that study the way various factors affect the putrefaction process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières</span> University in Québec, Canada

The Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), also known as "l'université du peuple", established in 1969 and mainly located in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada, is a public university within the Université du Québec network. As of April 2016, the university had 14,500 students in 9 different campuses, including the main one in Trois-Rivières. About 788 of them come from overseas, from 50 countries. The university has given more than 88,000 diplomas since its founding. The Trois-Rivières campus also holds a large library with about 400,000 documents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thanatology</span> Scientific study of death and its aspects

Thanatology is the scientific study of death and the losses brought about as a result. It investigates the mechanisms and forensic aspects of death, such as bodily changes that accompany death and the postmortem period, as well as wider psychological and social aspects related to death. It is primarily an interdisciplinary study offered as a course of study at numerous colleges and universities.

A body farm is a research facility where decomposition of humans and animals can be studied in a variety of settings. The initial facility was conceived by anthropologist William M. Bass in 1981 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Bass was interested in studying the decomposition of a human corpse from the time of death to the time of decay. The aim was to gain a better understanding of the decomposition process, permitting the development of techniques for extracting information such as the timing and circumstances of death from human remains. Body farm research is of particular interest in forensic anthropology and related disciplines, and has applications in the fields of law enforcement and forensic science. By placing the bodies outside to face the elements, researchers are able to get a better understanding of the decomposition process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UQTR Patriotes</span> Canadian university sports team

The UQTR Patriotes are the athletic teams that represent the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. The university features teams in swimming, golf, hockey, soccer, cross-country, volleyball and cheerleading. Notably, the men's ice hockey team has won four University Cup national championships since the program was first established in 1969. The men's soccer team has won one national championship, coming in 2019.

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William Marvin Bass III is an American forensic anthropologist, best known for his research on human osteology and human decomposition. He has also assisted federal, local, and non-U.S. authorities in the identification of human remains. He taught at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and founded the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, the first such facility in the world. The facility is more popularly known as "The Body Farm", a name used by crime author Patricia Cornwell in a novel of the same name, which drew inspiration from Bass and his work. Bass has also described the body farm as "Death's Acre" – the title of the book on his life and career, co-written with journalist Jon Jefferson. Jefferson and Bass, under the pen name "Jefferson Bass", have also written several fictional works: Carved In Bone, Flesh and Bone, The Devil's Bones, Bones of Betrayal, The Bone Thief, The Bone Yard, The Inquisitor's Key, Cut To the Bone, and The Breaking Point. Though currently retired from teaching, Bass still plays an active research role in the university's forensic anthropology program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hornsby Girls' High School</span> Australian high school

Hornsby Girls' High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for girls, located in Hornsby, a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1930, the school's first principal was the scientist Sarah Agnes Angus Brewster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Search and rescue dog</span> Dog trained to locate or retrieve a missing or trapped person

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Skorek</span> Canadian University Professor and Polish Engineer

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The University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, better known as the Body Farm and sometimes seen as the Forensic Anthropology Facility, was conceived in 1971 and established in 1972 by anthropologist William M. Bass as the first facility for the study of decomposition of human remains. It is located a few miles from downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, behind the University of Tennessee Medical Center, and is part of the Forensic Anthropology Center, which was established by Dr. Bass in 1987.

<i>Journal of the Canadian Society of Forensic Science</i> Academic journal

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References

  1. "La décomposition humaine se poursuit même en hiver, découvre l'UQTR". Journal de Montreal (in French). Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  2. "Windsor Gains Expertise". University of Windsor. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  3. Congress, The Library of. "LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". id.loc.gov. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  4. Power, Julie (10 April 2015). "Lunch with new body farm queen, Shari Forbes". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Shari Forbes". University of Technology Sydney. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "She's in charge of Canada's first 'body farm' and yes, she knows that's creepy". The Hamilton Spectator. 29 November 2019. ISSN   1189-9417 . Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  7. Verheggen, François; Perrault, Katelynn A.; Megido, Rudy Caparros; Dubois, Lena M.; Francis, Frédéric; Haubruge, Eric; Forbes, Shari L.; Focant, Jean-François; Stefanuto, Pierre-Hugues (1 July 2017). "The Odor of Death: An Overview of Current Knowledge on Characterization and Applications". BioScience. 67 (7): 600–613. doi: 10.1093/biosci/bix046 . ISSN   0006-3568.
  8. "Canada's 1st forensics body farm is coming this summer". CBC Radio. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  9. "Qu'est-ce que REST[ES]?". Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  10. "Fellows - The Royal Society of NSW". www.royalsoc.org.au. Retrieved 19 April 2020.