Several laboratory investigations have been conducted on cattle mutilation carcasses, with results that have fueled rather than settled the debate. In 1978 and subsequent years, veterinary pathologists and forensic scientists examined tissue samples from allegedly mutilated cattle, looking for evidence that would distinguish deliberate cutting from natural decomposition. Some analyses reported finding evidence of incisions made with sharp, heated instruments — tissue samples showing cauterization at the edges, consistent with laser cutting or electrosurgical devices but inconsistent with scavenger teeth or decomposition splitting. Other analyses found evidence of chemical compounds not normally present in decomposing tissue, including elevated levels of certain metals and unidentified fluorescent substances.
However, controlled studies by skeptical researchers demonstrated that natural decomposition processes could produce edge characteristics superficially similar to surgical cutting, and that environmental contamination could account for unusual chemical residues. The laboratory evidence remains ambiguous — sufficiently unusual to sustain the mystery, but not definitive enough to rule out natural explanations.