Australia's first 'human body farm' at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER), has found dead bodies move significantly when they decompose.
Time-lapse photography of a corpse over 17 months revealed the arms, which started down by the sides of the body, moved so they ended up out to the side of the body.
These findings could impact future police investigations, as it was previously assumed that the position a body was found in was the position it died in — unless there was evidence the body had been moved by other people or by animals.
Dr Maiken Ueland, deputy director of AFTER, says knowing the body movement of a corpse will help determine what happened.