IMPACT: The Research Magazine for John Jay College of Criminal Justice

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Time of Death?

Determining time of death is vital to forensics, and Dr. Jennifer Rosati maintains that observing insect development on decomposing remains can help to figure out this important information. Rosati, a professor of forensic entomology, is working on a strategy for rapid identification of blowfly and other necrophagous (that means carrion-eating) larvae, pupae and adult insects through mass spectrometry. She also looks at the use of insects for the detection of various drugs, toxins and proteins. And you thought that dogs were the only crime-fighters in the animal kingdom!