Wildlife Forensics and an introduction to
entomology questions with verified answers
A Chinese book from 1248 AD tells of an investigator tasked with
finding a murderer. He had figured out the implement used and
narrowed his field of suspects. What did he employ as a tool in his
study of the case? Ans✓✓✓ Flies
The investigator had compared the fatal wounds to the results of using
various implements on a dead animal, to determine that a sickle had
been used in the crime. He had all the men who worked with sickles
brought together and had them lay their tools down. Little by little, flies
were attracted to one particular sickle. The murderer realised they had
smelled blood and confessed to the crime. The book was written by
Song Ci (1186 - 1249) and was named "Washing Away of Wrongs". In
the same book he tells of ways to determine whether a person had
drowned or been strangled and other helpful info.
There were many ancient methods used to determine guilt or
innocence, based on the ideas and values of the times, but you
wouldn't want to risk your life on most of them. It's difficult to prove a
negative, like how can we be sure you're not a witch?
A story involving a sickle (farming implement) and flies is the first
documented case of which branch of forensics? Ans✓✓✓ Forensic
Entomology
Forensic entomology is the use of insect and arthropod evidence in
criminal investigations. It has three main subfields: i) In Medico-legal
, entomology the focus is on violent crime and death investigations; ii)
Urban entomology deals with the damage done to urban structures by
insects; and iii) Storage entomology is concerned with the presence of
insects in foodstuffs
The first documented case using forensic entomology occurred in China
in 1235 and can be found in the book 'The Washing Away of Wrongs' by
Sung Tz'u (also known as Song Ci). He tells the story of a village where a
badly cut inhabitant had been found murdered. The presiding
magistrate first tested different types of knives on an animal carcass to
determine which type of weapon had been used. After concluding that
it was a sickle, he had all the villagers gather in the village square where
their sickles were laid on the ground in the hot sun. After a while, a
group of blow-flies all gathered on one particular sickle. The owner of
the sickle broke down and confessed to the murder. Upon
investigation, it was found that the blow-flies had been attracted to
some blood and tissue matter which had remained on that sickle.
Buried or enclosed remains Ans✓✓✓ Buried or enclosed remains
present particular problems for the entomologist because insects'
access to a body is limited.
Burial also slows the process of decomposition due to lower and more
constant temperatures, fewer bacteria, and limited access to the body.
entomology questions with verified answers
A Chinese book from 1248 AD tells of an investigator tasked with
finding a murderer. He had figured out the implement used and
narrowed his field of suspects. What did he employ as a tool in his
study of the case? Ans✓✓✓ Flies
The investigator had compared the fatal wounds to the results of using
various implements on a dead animal, to determine that a sickle had
been used in the crime. He had all the men who worked with sickles
brought together and had them lay their tools down. Little by little, flies
were attracted to one particular sickle. The murderer realised they had
smelled blood and confessed to the crime. The book was written by
Song Ci (1186 - 1249) and was named "Washing Away of Wrongs". In
the same book he tells of ways to determine whether a person had
drowned or been strangled and other helpful info.
There were many ancient methods used to determine guilt or
innocence, based on the ideas and values of the times, but you
wouldn't want to risk your life on most of them. It's difficult to prove a
negative, like how can we be sure you're not a witch?
A story involving a sickle (farming implement) and flies is the first
documented case of which branch of forensics? Ans✓✓✓ Forensic
Entomology
Forensic entomology is the use of insect and arthropod evidence in
criminal investigations. It has three main subfields: i) In Medico-legal
, entomology the focus is on violent crime and death investigations; ii)
Urban entomology deals with the damage done to urban structures by
insects; and iii) Storage entomology is concerned with the presence of
insects in foodstuffs
The first documented case using forensic entomology occurred in China
in 1235 and can be found in the book 'The Washing Away of Wrongs' by
Sung Tz'u (also known as Song Ci). He tells the story of a village where a
badly cut inhabitant had been found murdered. The presiding
magistrate first tested different types of knives on an animal carcass to
determine which type of weapon had been used. After concluding that
it was a sickle, he had all the villagers gather in the village square where
their sickles were laid on the ground in the hot sun. After a while, a
group of blow-flies all gathered on one particular sickle. The owner of
the sickle broke down and confessed to the murder. Upon
investigation, it was found that the blow-flies had been attracted to
some blood and tissue matter which had remained on that sickle.
Buried or enclosed remains Ans✓✓✓ Buried or enclosed remains
present particular problems for the entomologist because insects'
access to a body is limited.
Burial also slows the process of decomposition due to lower and more
constant temperatures, fewer bacteria, and limited access to the body.
