An unlikely听collaboration听between 性视界传媒鈥檚 听and the new听outdoor听Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory could听yield听critical听advances in forensic science.听
Mason teams from听a number of听different fields are working in unison at the Science and Technology Campus in Manassas, Virginia, on an ambitious project to see if the honey produced by bees after feeding on flowers can help them better locate missing persons.
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Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications
Proteins in bee honey contain biochemical information about what the bees have fed upon. That information has previously been used to detect the chemical signature of pesticides in honey, allowing observers to deduce what specific types of pesticides were being used within the five-mile radius from the hives that honey bees typically frequent.听
Similarly, O鈥橳oole and her team听believe听that volatile organic compounds听(VOCs)听of human decomposition might likewise be found in bee honey, allowing authorities to then triangulate听where missing human remains might be located.听That ability could ultimately听help听spare听grieving families additional extended angst听while also saving听thousands of听hours听in the search for a missing person.听
鈥淚f we can determine what the VOCs are for humans and differentiate that from other animals, we could then use the bees and their honey as sentinels,听and, hopefully, find missing persons听and solve cases,鈥 said听, an associate professor of听forensic science.听
Their belief is based on the premise that听flowering plants near dead bodies will uptake the VOCs听before being fed upon by the bees and ultimately being deposited in their听honey.听
, an associate professor within Mason鈥檚听听(CAPMM), has perfected a听method to听extract proteins听from the honey. She and听, a University Professor and CAPMM co-founder and co-director,听have been involved with the project from the outset,听following the idea鈥檚 origins at one of the monthly research meetings with the Forensic Science Program.听
Honey听bees听are very specific in the kinds of flowers to which they鈥檙e attracted.听Doni Nolan, Mason鈥檚 Greenhouse and Gardens sustainability program manager from the听听within the听, applied her expertise to the project, choosing the right flowers to plant within the specific one-acre section of the newly opened Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory that will house the remains of human donors in a heavily wooded area. The honey bee听hive on the SciTech Campus is located several hundred yards away from the Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory.听
In November, students and researchers planted several different species of plants, which bear highly scented white and yellow blossoms, near the spots where the human remains will soon be displayed. Additional plants native to this area will be planted in the spring before the first honey samples are examined, Nolan said.听
鈥淵ou鈥檙e trying to see if the honey and the bees can help us find a body and solve a homicide,鈥 said Nolan, who has a biology degree from Mason and is working on a PhD in biosciences.听
The听five-acre,听Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory opened听in early 2021, making Mason just the eighth location in the world capable of performing transformative outdoor research in forensic science using human donors听and the only one in the Mid-Atlantic region.听
Donation of human remains to the research facility will come through the Virginia State Anatomical Program (VSAP),听which is听a part of the Virginia Department of Health.听Go听听to learn more about donating your body to science.听
Mason听also entered a听partnership with FARO Technologies, Inc.听that resulted in the world鈥檚 first FARO-certified forensic听laboratory.听
In addition to those in the Forensic Science Program, the multidisciplinary project also includes the caretakers of the honey bees, as well as researchers and students from CAPMM, as well as from the within the College of Science and听, all of whom helped select the plants for the research design.