[5][6] The Anthropological Research Facility, the first body farm created, was founded by Bass to generate information about what a corpse experiences when exposed to various experimental conditions.
On this farm, human corpses yield to the elements of nature in many re-enacted scenes such as a car accident unseen for days, or a murder victim buried in a shallow grave.
[7] Prior to the creation of this institution, no advances had been made in the study of long-term body decomposition since the days of Song Ci in 13th century China.
In 1966, while teaching at the University of Kansas, Dr. Bass got the first idea for what would eventually become the Body Farm when he was asked if it was possible to determine the time of death of a decomposed cow.
[3] Bass' further realized that additional research was needed into the field of human decomposition when he was summoned in December of 1977 to examine what was first assumed to be a murder victim buried on top of the grave of a Confederate soldier in Franklin, Tennessee who had been killed at the Battle of Nashville in 1864.
[3] His initial institution consisted of a fenced-off, 256-square-foot (23.8 m2) slab of concrete with a small, windowless shed on top, where tools and surgical instruments would be stored.
During the facility's first year of operation, Rodriguez conducted a study where each day he observed and notated the presence of various insects on human cadavers and other information like changes in the body, and the timing of each of these.
After a couple days, the body enters the bloat stage, which is caused by the gases that the bacteria in the intestines give off as they feed on the dead tissues.
Knowing the length of time that has passed since death helps a great deal when attempting to reconcile the information gathered at the crime scene with alibis given by possible suspects.
[15][16] William Bass and his students did not isolate themselves through their own studies at the Body Farm; they also received forensic cases from law enforcement in which they could lend their expertise.
[18] This observation gave significant evidence that the man had been dead in his car for almost an entire life cycle of a blow-fly (approximately two weeks) before fire was even set to it.
Marks, a specialist in corpse decomposition, used a measurement known as "degree days", which utilizes daily temperature, along with crime scene photos of the maggots in order to determine an accurate range of dates for possible death.
A more recent case came to light in 2007 with Bass' agreement to exhume the body of the late J.P. Richardson, Jr, more famously known as "The Big Bopper".
His son, Jay Richardson, had never met his father and, knowing the strange controversies surrounding the plane crash, decided to contact Bass to see if he could gather any answers.
He showed Jay Richardson the numerous breaks and fractures throughout his father's body, including his chest, skull, pelvis, and legs which inhibited ambulatory motion.
[22] All of the rumors and debates surrounding Richardson's death could finally be put to rest, and it was due largely in part to Bass and his extensive knowledge of forensic anthropology.
These studies have enriched the knowledge of the decomposition of the body and the effects of the environment, which has led to enhanced use of forensic science in criminal investigations.
With innovations and adaptation to change, computers are able to identify properties of bone matter that has been buried years beginning at the Forensic Anthropology Data Bank founded in 1986 at the University of Texas, which houses thousands of detailed measurements of skeletons.
Due to the success of this research, they can recreate these smells and train dogs on what exactly to search for, making these animals much more effective in aiding with homicide cases.