The protagonist, FBI trainee Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster), is a young woman working in a predominantly male environment \u2013 who is often underestimated by her colleagues. When she discovers key evidence through a suspenseful process of extraction from a young victim\u2019s mouth, viewers are introduced to a field of criminal investigation they may never have considered before: forensic entomology<\/a>.<\/p>\n Some kind of seed pod?<\/p>\n No, sir \u2026 that\u2019s a bug cocoon.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Entomology<\/a> \u2013 the scientific study of insects \u2013 is one of the oldest branches of the natural sciences<\/a>. And the application of insects to criminal cases dates back almost as far. In the forensic text The Washing Away of Wrongs<\/a> (1247), written by Chinese investigator Sung T\u2019zu, flies attracted to traces of blood on a sickle helped identify a murderer.<\/p>\n However, it was not until the late 19th century that forensic entomology was formalised as a scientific discipline \u2013 thanks largely to the studies of Jean Pierre M\u00e9gnin<\/a>. Influenced by his experiences on the battlefield, the French vet began investigating which insects were attracted to animal and human remains at different stages of decomposition<\/a>.<\/p>\n These days, carrion insects<\/a> are used to tell criminal investigators about the time since a victim\u2019s death<\/a>, whether their body has been moved<\/a>, and if any drugs or toxins<\/a> have contributed to their death.<\/p>\n Human remains are commonly colonised by blowflies<\/a> and their maggots. But in The Silence of the Lambs, Starling was faced with something more unusual: the cocoon of a death\u2019s-head hawkmoth<\/a> (Acherontia atropos<\/em>).<\/p>\n The cocoon, which the serial killer inserts into his victims\u2019 throats, is identified by two entomologists who are clearly not forensically trained<\/a>. Otherwise, they would have thought twice before cutting open the only piece of insect evidence without seeking permission for such a destructive analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n The film introduces murderous concepts<\/a> such as \u201cstaging\u201d<\/a> \u2013 the intentional alteration of a crime scene \u2013 and a perpretrator\u2019s modus operandi and criminal signature<\/a>, relating to any distinctive methods they use.<\/p>\n Today, many of us working in forensic entomology and taphonomy<\/a> (the study of what happens to organisms between death and discovery) are still told our work is \u201cjust like The Silence of the Lambs\u201d. But 35 years after the film\u2019s release, forensic entomology is no longer limited to microscopes, forceps and entomologists working alone.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s criminal investigations often feature complex interactions between environmental conditions, decomposition processes and human activity. This makes collaborations between multiple scientific (and non-scientific) disciplines essential.<\/p>\n In the two decades preceding the film\u2019s release, the biomedical and life sciences journal PubMed listed 37 publications<\/a> on the subject of forensic entomology. Since then, there have been more than 1,800<\/a>.<\/p>\n Methods used for insect identification and age estimation have changed dramatically. Today, molecular<\/a> and chemical techniques can identify insect species and determine their stage in the lifecycle and geographic origin<\/a>. These techniques are especially useful in cold cases or poorly preserved crime scenes<\/a>, where samples may have been damaged or improperly stored.<\/p>\n Insects are also playing an increasingly accurate role in determining the time of death<\/a>. As well as feeding on decomposing remains, they help spread the bacteria and other microorganisms<\/a> involved in decomposition. These microbial communities change in predictable ways over time \u2013 even in extreme environmental scenarios<\/a> \u2013 offering investigators a further indicator of the postmortem interval.<\/p>\n Chemical profiling of insect cuticular hydrocarbons<\/a> (insect skin) provide definitive species and age signatures. These can reduce the risk of error<\/a> associated with identification by people, and the time and costs of DNA sequencing.<\/p>\n Forensic entomology has also expanded into areas such as entomotoxicology, where insects feeding on decomposing remains are analysed for the presence of drugs, toxins or other chemical compounds. It is even possible to recover the DNA of the individual on whom an insect has been feeding directly from that insect\u2019s gut contents<\/a>.<\/p>\n In The Silence of the Lambs, investigators assume that \u201cwater leaves no trace evidence of any kind\u201d. Yet today, aquatic forensic researchers examine not only insects<\/a> but crustaceans<\/a>, microorganisms<\/a> and bone proteins<\/a> associated with decomposing remains in water<\/a>.<\/p>\n The film\u2019s infamous moth cocoon scene \u2013 which saw the extracted evidence collected with forceps, then taken for visual inspection at a museum \u2013 would be approached rather differently today.<\/p>\n Firstly, spoons<\/a> are now recommended over forceps to avoid damaging the sample. Modern forensic practice aims to preserve specimens by taking photographs before any manipulation. Where possible, insects are reared to the adult stage which is often easier to identify with certainty.<\/p>\n Rather than opening the cocoon, it could be compared as is with museum reference collections or analysed using technology such as hyperspectral imaging<\/a>. This would confirm the species and estimate its developmental stage without altering the evidence.<\/p>\n Many high-profile cases<\/a>, including some wrongful convictions<\/a>, have demonstrated how forensic entomology can be a key tool in the investigation of current and historical crimes \u2013 as well as of natural disasters<\/a> and war crimes<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, technological advances are not enough. The reliability of forensic entomology depends on appropriate crime scene protocols, evidence collection, ongoing research and, perhaps most importantly, specialist training and attention to detail. These qualities are certainly embodied by agent Starling.<\/p>\n\n
How the science has progressed<\/h2>\n
Revisiting the moth cocoon scene<\/h2>\n
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