Forensic Forestry

Professor Stewart of the University of Tennesee has suggested that plants may provide clues about the location of human bodies (http://sciencenewsjournal.com/drones-used-find-bodies/). He has done studies in a 'body farm', flying drones with spectroscopic sensors over the vegetation. It is thought that looking at the Near Infra Red emitted from leaves will show changes as the plant takes up minerals from decomposing bodies. Corpses are often difficult to find in woodland locations, so this another weapon for forensic science. Of course, other large dead mammals might also produce similar signature changes.