From Decomposition to Data: Building an AI-Assisted Forensic Tool for a Local Problem
What if a small colour-changing strip, photographed with an ordinary smartphone, could eventually provide a forensic investigator with useful information about the stage of decomposition? DECOMPOSED REMAINS ↓ Biological changes occurring ↓ Microbial + environmental signals ↓ Conventional workflow ↓ Sample → Transport → Laboratory → Analysis → Interpretation ↓ TIME That question began with a problem I encountered not in the world of artificial intelligence, but in forensic science. I work in forensic science, where some of the most important questions often have to be answered with incomplete information. When decomposed human remains are discovered, investigators may need to understand how far decomposition has progressed and what biological processes are occurring. Microorganisms are an important part of that process: bacteri...
