A Perth university lecturer is looking at underwater organisms and plants, which may be the first witnesses to crime scenes and is helping write the scripts for Italy’s version of the TV show, CSI.

Dr Paola Magni is a Forensic Science Lecturer at Murdoch University and says underwater crime scenes can be solved by analysing nearby plants and animals. 

‘Everything is more complicated in water; even just finding the place where the body is, is a problem. Just think about the Malaysian airline, we know that something happened, but we don’t know where that scene is. And then bodies move in water, so even if we find the place… In most of the cases, the animals and the different organisms can help us backtrack the remains or they can give us information,’ Dr Magni told Simon Beaumont. 

She also shared how she started contributing to Italy’s CSI TV show.

Listen to the full interview here…

Dr Paola Magni is also sharing some fascinating stories at a public lecturer on Monday March 20, ‘Crimes, Critters and Clues’.