When dead bodies decompose, they release 30 compounds—two of which are appropriately named putrescine and cadaverine. While trained sniffing dogs do a decent job recovering bodies after natural disasters or in crime scenes, scientists are looking into a more automated process—one that would use an electronic device to sniff out any dead bodies in the vicinity. To build up a database of dead body smells, Penn State University’s Dan Sykes and graduate student Sarah Jones euthanized pigs and created a profile of the odors their corpses produced. The deceased swine were put into a chamber with sensors that contain special fibers to measure the chemicals in the air every six to 12 hours, for one week. Science Daily reports:
"In days one through three, we found precursors to indole, which is a really good sign. On day three, we found indole and putrescine, the main compounds that we were trying ...
