Gallery: Out on the Texas Ranch Where Scientists Study Death (NSFW)
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Cages cover bodies at Texas State University’s Forensic Anthroplogy Research Facility on Freeman Ranch in San Marcos, Texas. The cages protect against scavenging by vultures, coyotes and other animals. Spanning 26 acres of land, the facility is the largest human decomposition laboratory in the world.
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Graduate students Nandar Yukyi, Lauren Meckel, Annie Riegert, and Audrey Schaefer bury a body in the outdoor decomposition facility. The burial began in the afternoon but didn't finish until sunset, due to the rocky, hard soil.
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Graduate student Courtney Siegert examines burned pig remains as part of her thesis research testing recovery methods for burned bones.
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Graduate student Devora Gleiber notes the state of a body at the outdoor decomposition facility.
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Undergraduate student Jordan Daem inspects a casket as part of a forensic investigation.
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Graduate student Justin Pyle studies a body at the outdoor decomposition facility. It was placed outdoors without a cage, and consequently has been scavenged.
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Undergraduate student Jordan Daem and graduate student Devora Gleiber disassemble a skeleton at the end of a human decomposition experiment.
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Students tag limbs using a unique identification number so they can be identified even if separated from the body during decomposition.
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Graduate students Annie Riegert, Chloe McDaneld, Lauren Meckel, and Devora Gleiber position a body with a forklift before transporting it to the decomposition facility.
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Graduate students Brittany McClain and Lauren Meckel examine a vicitim’s teeth.
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Graduate students mix special detergent and water in a kettle containing a skeleton. It’s the first step in cleaning, labeling and archiving remains for the university’s osteological research collection.
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Researchers compare an unidentified victim's skull to a replica. The model will be used to help reconstruct the victim's face. The research is part of Operation ID, a university project dedicated to identifying over 200 suspected migrants found along the Texas-Mexico border.
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Visiting researcher Dr. Hayley Mickleburgh reconstructs a face using a three-dimensional model of a skull.
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The clothing and personal effects of unidentified migrants dry on the floor of the osteological research and processing laboratory.
