• Question: how did you discover this theory about flies

    Asked by rupert to Kat on 14 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Katherine Davies

      Katherine Davies answered on 14 Mar 2011:

      Hi

      Im sorry I am a little confused by your question. We have known for hundreds of years that flies are attracted to blood and feed off rotting flesh. The first recorded case was in china in 1235 AD. Over time, mainly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, we discovered that certain species of flies visit corpses at certain timepoints after death, and they use the corpse as food.

      We now know (since ~1950) how to determine the age of a maggot to within a few hours, and assuming the flies had immediate access to the body, this can help estimate when the person died.

      Hope this helps

      Kat

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