forensic taphonomy – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

Articles on forensic taphonomy

September 3, 2025

How do bodies decompose? Cape Town forensic scientists are pushing frontiers of new detection methods

Victoria Gibbon, University of Cape Town; Devin Alexander Finaughty, University of the Witwatersrand, and Kara Adams, University of Cape Town

New innovations in understanding how a dead body breaks down can be scaled globally.

July 31, 2024

Hayley Green, Western Sydney University

Through each step of the autopsy process, the dignity and respect of the deceased is prioritised by all involved.

August 7, 2024

Kara Adams, University of Cape Town and Victoria Gibbon, University of Cape Town

Pigs, specifically those weighing around 60kg, are useful in human decomposition studies.

Victoria Gibbon
Professor in Biological Anthropology, Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, University of Cape Town
Kara Adams
Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Cape Town
Hayley Green
Senior Lecturer - Forensic Anthropology, Western Sydney University
Devin Alexander Finaughty
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of the Witwatersrand