Thai researchers create app for gauging time of death

By Mongkolchaowarat Thangmangmee 
The Nation

 

 

Here’s a handy mobile app for forensic crime investigators, and it came from Naresuan University in Phitsanulok.
 

Researchers there studied the blowfly’s life cycle, realised the knowledge could help determine how long a human has been dead, and developed the “iParasites” app for investigators.

 

It can accurately detect the life-cycle stage of blowflies found feeding on corpses.

 

Forensic entomology has relatively few practitioners in the world, so Nophawan Bunchu, a lecturer in microbiology and parasitology at the school’s Faculty of Medical Sciences, collaborated with Zenith Medi Touch executive Parinya Boonchai to develop the application, which represents the fruit of a 20-year study of various fly species.

 

The app has already been patented and will be ready for general use early next year, Parinya said.

 

It contains a glossary of terms and a 3D QR-code scanner to determine a cadaver’s time of death based on the blowfly’s stage of life.

 

Noppawan said she had been studying flies since she was an undergraduate and knew there were benefits to be gained from the knowledge, in spite of a general dislike of flies among the public.

 

She said that, of the 96 species of flies found in Thailand, Chrysomya megacephala and Chrysomya rufifacies were most commonly linked to cadavers.

 

The use of arthropods like flies in forensic investigation to determine time of death has been done in the past. The parasite’s stage of life is useful in tracing time of death especially more than 24 hours, Noppawan said.

 

In murder cases, the killer invariably overlooks such potential indicators when destroying evidence to cover up the crime, but arthropods present in the corpse can also indicate whether the body was moved from the scene of the murder and identify toxins in the body, she said.

 

Care must be taken, however, since flies also can contaminate the scene with traces of unrelated blood.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30359443

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-11-28

6 minutes ago, webfact said:

It contains a glossary of terms and a 3D QR-code scanner

Does that mean the blowfly has little black and white squares all over it, you point your phone, and hey presto, you find out when the pork you are buying was killed.

Could be a useful addition to the toolkit of some of TVF's amateur sleuths.

 

I'll state publicly,  once I'm dead i don't care how or  why I died.  If I'm a murder victim, nothin will change that.  I don't care  about determining   the time of death  as a means of establishing who  may have killed me.    

 

Oh damn, "they got away with it".

 

I'm at a  full state of  peace regarding  my  death   I simply don't want a long, painful,  drawn out process leading up to my final breath.  Done  and dusted would suit me fine.

 

 

 

Does it have a special drop down menu,  for just brain dead.

after all,  It was developed here. 

I'm just wondering what market they are catering for ? Personally I wouldn't start prodding a corpse with my phone just out of curiosity to see what time they had died. It could for be used for gambling purposes "I'll have 500bt on 25 minutes" 

All deaths in Thailand are suicides arent they ? 

 

As for this gizmo, useless if you arrive in the first two days of death, as flies are not present and egg laying until then (usually). They leave after a week so its a small window really to use this.

Seems this thing will only be of any use for 2-7day window.

 

Cant you tell I watch NCIS......555555  thanks "Ducky"....????

 

 

so it's a Litmus App!   

 

 Red for Suicide

 Blue for Karma

 

With Thais you can check it to 5min precision by looking at the timestamp of their last post to facebook or line chat.

Jut noticed the name. iParasites for investigators. I think it could be extended to all public servants.

     This is nothing new. Insects have been used for decades in determining time of death. Just google 'forensic entomology'

        https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article

22 minutes ago, Toknarok said:

     This is nothing new. Insects have been used for decades in determining time of death. Just google 'forensic entomology'

        https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article

Yup but I'm guessing Thais added in the app a recognition function for the types of worms and the best recipes for deep frying.

Here's a question for you all.

 

Would you rather: (A) Know when you're going to die

 

                       or (B) How you're going to die

 

 

3 hours ago, Dave67 said:

I'm just wondering what market they are catering for ? Personally I wouldn't start prodding a corpse with my phone just out of curiosity to see what time they had died. It could for be used for gambling purposes "I'll have 500bt on 25 minutes" 

Precisely, Catering.  Actually I could use an iparasites app if could detect exactly how much mine had leeched out of me.

4 hours ago, tifino said:

so it's a Litmus App!   

 

 Red for Suicide

 Blue for Karma

 

How many times...........there is no such thing as Karma   LOL

6 hours ago, webfact said:

It can accurately detect the life-cycle stage of blowflies found feeding on corpses

Egg species is critical to identifying the life cycle and thus the time frame for a decaying body.

Classifying blow fly eggs by species is currently based on differences in their amino acid profiles using a three-minute chemical mass spectrometer.

So this app may not be accurate in species identification and associated time spans for egg gestation.

Moe information is needed as to the result of app trials to know whether such inaccuracy is critical to establishing time of death.

 

 

More holes in this than you'll find in most Swiss cheeses. They'll be inventing a digging implement and calling it a spade next...

 

Time for a feed...

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Noppawan said she had been studying flies since she was an undergraduate and knew there were benefits to be gained from the knowledge, in spite of a general dislike of flies among the public.

Too right especially when they've been chowing on dog's eggs .. Which they tend to do if not plaguing someone's corpse .. Disgusting creatures .. 

Edited November 28, 20187 yr by Justgrazing
Sp

Can it attach onto their motorbikes & vehicles?

3 hours ago, wgdanson said:

7 hours ago, tifino said:

so it's a Litmus App!   

 

 Red for Suicide

 Blue for Karma

 

How many times...........there is no such thing as Karma   LOL

 

It's really going to suck for a loooooong time if you're wrong...

 

OTOH, if I live my life as if there is a God (or karma, or heaven, or hell), what have I lost?

 

It's not a matter of faith.  It's a hedging philosophy.

 

3 hours ago, wgdanson said:

How many times...........there is no such thing as Karma   LOL

So what happened to Karma Sutra? 

17 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

I'll state publicly,  once I'm dead i don't care how or  why I died.  If I'm a murder victim, nothin will change that.  I don't care  about determining   the time of death  as a means of establishing who  may have killed me.    

 

Oh damn, "they got away with it".

 

I'm at a  full state of  peace regarding  my  death   I simply don't want a long, painful,  drawn out process leading up to my final breath.  Done  and dusted would suit me fine.

 

 

 

Suggestion... wear a bracelet with the inscription "do not investigate the nature of my death, just plant me in the ground"

The rest of us can be treated as normal

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Suggestion... wear a bracelet with the inscription "do not investigate the nature of my death, just plant me in the ground"

The rest of us can be treated as normal

 

The bracelet would entail shopping  which is something I'm loath to do.

 

But actually I have a medical directive I carry in my wallet.

 

(Normal??)