The Texas State Forensic Anthropology Research Facility located in San Marcos, Texas, sprawls across twenty-six acres of rolling hills, scraggly mesquite bushes, seasonal bluebonnets…and decomposing bodies. The cadavers lying under wire cages bake in the searing heat as researchers measure the presence of maggots and blowflies, the chronology of skin...

For me, a trip to the grocery store is an adventure. Choosing between red and green peppers involves staving off ravenous zombies who want to snack on my earlobes. Hefting ten pounds of black beans into my cart requires hiding from reptilian-skinned aliens intent on harvesting my toenails. Picking up...