Did anyone else hear that interview yesterday on NPR about the 3 acre plot where dead bodies are laid out to rot?

I didn’t hear the interview yesterday, but I have heard that there is a place called The Body Farm that they lay bodies out to research decay, the phases of bug infestation in decaying bodies, etc.

If you are talking about the “body farm” It is quite close to me, almost in my back yard.

Here is Wikipedia on Body Farms

Makes sense to me. How else do you learn?

I’d rather be laid out and left to rot in the name of science, than be buried underground.

I’ve known about this for years. What’s the problem?

That’s the place! the body farm. And I just found out there are 5 of them in the United States.

I get that it’s useful for all different kinds of science. But you have to admit that it would kill the property values of the land surrounding it if word got out. I’m assuming it’s far enough away from other residencies do people don’t complain about odors and stuff.

But do they have a way to keep dogs out? My grandmother’s dog finds dead animals off the side of the road and lays them on the front porch as a gift. That’s bad enough…. You know….

People donate their bodies to body farms, in much the same way as people donate their bodies to medical research.

Stephen Fry visited a body farm in “Stephen Fry in America”.

There’s always a relevant Stephen Fry clip!

@dappledleaves I saw that, it was when I first learned of the existence of body farms.

I’ve known about The Body Farm for years. That’s how forensic scientists learn about how bodies decay, so that they can determine how and when people have died, usually for potential crime victims, often to figure out if someone was murdered, or whether their death was an accident, of from natural causes.

There is a book Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell, I believe. I have not yet read it.

The body farm is also mentioned in Mary Roach’s Stiff (a book that I highly recommend).

@dappled_leaves Thanks for mentioning Stephen Fry in America – I checked it out; good stuff. Reminds me of Mr. Rogers, but for adults.

Oh, I’m glad! I love Stephen Fry’s docs. Check out Planet Word and Out There, if you’re looking for more. And, of course, QI. :)