Summary:
- Forensic scientists can analyze the microbes present in a frozen body to determine the time of death, even years after the body was frozen.
- The microbial communities that colonize a body change over time as the body decomposes, and these changes can be used as a "microbial clock" to estimate the time since death.
- By studying the specific microbes present and their relative abundance, researchers can pinpoint the approximate time of death with high accuracy, even for bodies that have been frozen for an extended period.