Forensic Ecology, Botany, and Palynology
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Forensic Botany: Current State of Knowledge and Possible Applications in Investigative Practice
FORENSIC PRACTICE dr Daria Bajerlein (corresponding author) Assistant professor at the Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań [email protected] prof. dr hab. Maria Wojterska Head of the Department of Plant Ecology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań dr Łukasz Grewling Assistant professor at the Laboratory of Aeropalynology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań dr hab. Mikołaj Kokociński Assistant professor at the Department of Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań Forensic botany: current state of knowledge and possible applications in investigative practice Summary Forensic botany is a science that studies biological traces of plant origin with regard to their practical usefulness as evidence used in judicial proceedings. Among the disciplines of forensic botany, the following have the widest application: palynology, plant anatomy, diatomology, plant ecology and plant molecular biology. It has been shown that the knowledge of plants can be used to determine the connections between the alleged perpetrator, victim and crime scene. In practice, the methods of forensic botany have been used to identify locations where the hostages were held or the sites of concealment of a corpse, distinguish between the place of the incident and that where the victim was abandoned, identify the perpetrator, the cause and time of death, unravel drug distribution networks, clarify the circumstances of plant and animal smuggling as well as war crimes. Despite the fact that the suitability of forensic botany for determining the circumstances of criminal events has been repeatedly confirmed, this science remains largely underestimated and scarcely used. -
Pplication of Judicial Palynology in Judicial Identification
Qi ZHANG, Kaiqing LU, Jinfeng LI, et al. Application of Judicial Palynology in Judicial Identification. Forensic Sci Sem, 2018, 8(3): 20-24. Peer Reviewed Forensic Science Seminar Received 4 January 2018 ISSN 2157-118X Received in revised form 2 December 2018 Volume 8 Number 3 Accepted 10 December 2018 15 December 2018 Available online 11 December 2018 pplication of Judicial Palynology in Judicial A Identification Qi ZHANG a, d, Kaiqing LU a, d, Jinfeng LI a, Xiaofei XIA b, Ping WANG c, Can HU c, Jun ZHU c, Yufei WANG a, Yifeng YAO a, * a. State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China. b. Beijing Natural History Museum, Beijing 100050, China. c. Institute of Forensic Science of China, Beijing 100038, China. d. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. * CORRESPONDING AUTHOR. Yifeng Yao (1977-), male, Jiangxi Pingxiang, Ph.D., associate researcher, research direction for plant evolution biology. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT Judicial palynology is a branch of forensic science. Palynological examination can provide important information for inferring the relationship between suspects and crime scenes, the time of occurrence of cases and the source of drugs. In New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries, sporopollen testing has played an important role in the detection of a number of cases, other countries in recent years have also carried out relevant applied research. This paper summarizes the typical cases of forensic palynology in the past 50 years, introduces the history and current situation of the subject, and probes into its future research focus and development direction in order to improve people's comprehensive understanding of the subject and strengthen its application in forensic identification in the future. -
Forensic Science 1 Forensic Science
Forensic science 1 Forensic science "Forensics" redirects here. For other uses, see Forensics (disambiguation). Forensic science Physiological sciences • Forensic anthropology • Forensic archaeology • Forensic odontology • Forensic entomology • Forensic pathology • Forensic botany • Forensic biology • DNA profiling • Bloodstain pattern analysis • Forensic chemistry • Forensic osteology Social sciences • Forensic psychology • Forensic psychiatry Forensic criminalistics • Ballistics • Ballistic fingerprinting • Body identification • Fingerprint analysis • Forensic accounting • Forensic arts • Forensic footwear evidence • Forensic toxicology • Gloveprint analysis • Palmprint analysis • Questioned document examination • Vein matching Digital forensics • Computer forensics • Forensic data analysis • Database forensics • Mobile device forensics • Network forensics • Forensic video • Forensic audio Related disciplines • Fire investigation Forensic science 2 • Fire accelerant detection • Forensic engineering • Forensic linguistics • Forensic materials engineering • Forensic polymer engineering • Forensic statistics • Forensic taphonomy • Vehicular accident reconstruction People • William M. Bass • George W. Gill • Richard Jantz • Edmond Locard • Douglas W. Owsley • Werner Spitz • Auguste Ambroise Tardieu • Juan Vucetich Related articles • Crime scene • CSI effect • Perry Mason syndrome • Pollen calendar • Skid mark • Trace evidence • Use of DNA in forensic entomology • v • t [1] • e Forensic science is the scientific method of gathering and examining -
Forensic Geoscience and Crime Detection Identification, Interpretation and Presentation in Forensic Geoscience
MINERVA MED LEG 2007;127:73-89 Forensic geoscience and crime detection Identification, interpretation and presentation in forensic geoscience R. M. MORGAN, P. A. BULL Forensic geoscience is based upon well establi- Oxford University Centre for the Environment shed ideas and analytical techniques developed University of Oxford, Oxford, UK throughout the 20th century. Recent advances in geological and chemical analytical techni- ques have enabled, for the first time, detailed soil and sediment assay which has been taken up particularly by British scientists. A conceptual cope with the ever increasing complexities of framework for forensic geoscience is reiterated data analysis and interpretation in order for which supports the positive development in the the results to be presented in an unbiased and future of forensic geoscience, soil and sediment analyses. However, this paper also seeks to hi- clear way to both judge and jury in a court of ghlight the pitfalls encountered in recent years: law. These problems are compounded in the use of analytical techniques that are depen- forensic geoscience by additional complica- dent upon one another; the dependence on the tions in data acquisition, analysis, interpreta- exotic components of a sample, whether they tion and presentation which are individual to are representative or not; the confusion between descriptive; exclusionary and diagnostic tech- this particular, rapidly expanding, field of niques, and the failure to comprehend the re- forensic enquiry. Inspection of the post-2000 quirement to exclude rather than to match com- scientific published literature confirms the ex- parison samples. Furthermore, the use of auto- panding nature of forensic geoscience,1 but mated, computer driven, multiple-sample analy- we must ask ourselves whether this burgeon- tical machinery is questioned when there is no visual assessment by an operator included in ing of geological applications is but another the procedure. -
Botanical Knowledge in the Law Enforcement: a Preliminary Approach Towards Its Potential Use in Brazilian Criminal Caseworks
Biological and Applied Sciences Vol.61: e18160442, 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1678-4324-2018160442 BRAZILIAN ARCHIVES OF ISSN 1678-4324 Online Edition BIOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL Botanical Knowledge in the Law Enforcement: a Preliminary Approach Towards its Potential Use in Brazilian Criminal Caseworks Vinicius Manvailer1, Thales D. Leandro2*, Edna Scremin-Dias1 1Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil; 2Universidade Estadual Paulista –UNESP, - Campus de Rio Claro, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil. ABSTRACT We surveyed Brazilian forensic institutes in order to provide a baseline for botanical knowledge used in forensic applications. Our approach provides a better understanding of the law enforcement dynamics as a whole, and establishes perspectives and guidelines for implementing this discipline in Brazil, enhancing the elucidative power of Brazilian forensic institutes. Keywords: Botany, Criminal Investigation, Criminalistics, Forensic Sciences, Plant Sciences. * Author for correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected] Braz. Arch. Biol. Technol. v.61: e18160442 2018 2 Manvailer,V. et al. Recognizing useful botanical traces in crime scenes is crucial for their utility in criminal investigations, as well as to their proper collection and preservation 1. Relevant evidence may arise from a simple interpretation of botanical traces found at the crime scenes, which often do not require high-cost procedures (e.g., molecular analyses) in the course of the investigation. Although this may be true, the presence of an investigator or a forensic expert with botanical skills is rare in the Brazilian law enforcement, making this approach poorly used, and the botanical traces mostly depreciated 2. -
The Future of Environmental DNA in Forensic Science
MINIREVIEW crossm The Future of Environmental DNA in Forensic Science Julia S. Allwood,a Noah Fierer,b,c Robert R. Dunnd Downloaded from aDepartment of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA bDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA cCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA dDepartment of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA ABSTRACT DNA sequencing technologies continue to improve, and there has been a corresponding expansion of DNA-based applications in the forensic sciences. DNA http://aem.asm.org/ recovered from dust and environmental debris can be used to identify the organisms associated with these sample types, including bacteria, plants, fungi, and insects. Such results can then be leveraged to discern sample origin or geolocation and investigate individual identification. Here, we take a critical look at the current DNA-based technologies using microbiome and environmental sample sources that are focused on the generation of some investigative tools for use in forensic science. We discuss the pitfalls and contentions associated with the use of these techniques and highlight some of the future research required to expand the utility of these on January 8, 2020 at UNIV OF COLORADO methods in the forensic sciences. KEYWORDS environmental DNA, forensic science, eDNA, metabarcoding, DNA sequencing French criminologist in the early 20th century, Edmond Locard, was one of the Afirst people to advocate the value of examining trace materials, such as dust and soil, to forensic science. Locard suggested that every contact between two objects left a trace of each object on the other, and that transfer between the two was inevitable.