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Defining the Elements of New Scientific Disciplines - Palynoforensics

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Defining the Elements of New Scientific Disciplines - Palynoforensics International Journal of Volume 1 Issue 2 Criminal Investigation 87-94 DEFINING THE ELEMENTS OF NEW SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES - PALYNOFORENSICS Emilian M. DOBRESCU1*, Gabriel Ion OLTEANU2, Edith SIMA3 1) Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania 2)„Al. I. Cuza” Police Academy of Bucharest, 1A Aleea Privighetorilor, Bucharest-014013, Romania 3) “Spiru Haret” University Bucharest, Romania Abstract Featuring the latest advances of science, forensics is constantly renewed by adopting the latest methods, procedures and techniques for identifying facts and everyday phenomena. The study of pollen is one of these new methods, which greatly helps in forensics. Our paper deals with presenting the latest results in forensic palynology. We propose that palinoforensics be a new scientific discipline of the border, studying forensic evidence based on pollen. Keywords: Forensic pollen; palynology; palynoforensics. Introduction Pollen is a very fine powder form of Abundance - Pollen is produced in the anthers of flowers. It is composed of the anthers of flowers. Most flowers use grains of different shapes and colors wind or insects and small animals to help characteristic of each plant. It differs in transport their pollen to the female part of a form outer surface, the content of different flower on another plant of the same species, nutrients, vitamins, etc. Pollen can be so they must produce enormous amounts of obtained by direct harvesting by humans pollen (100-100,000 grains per anther) to from plants that have large amounts or by make sure some of it reaches its intended bees. Unlike pollen collected directly from destination. BUT – most pollen ends up as humans, using bee pollen is more valuable particulate components of soil, dirt, dust and because it is gathered from many flowers rocks. Therefore, pollen is everywhere. (Polyphemus) being added to bees, nectar Resistance to degradation - Pollen and saliva. Pollen carries the male sex cells and spore walls are so resistant to of flowering plants and plants that produce degradation that if they are deposited in the cones (eg pine trees). Spores are asexual right conditions they can be preserved in reproductive bodies of ferns, mosses and rocks for millions of years. Complexity – fungi. There are four major characteristics most plant species produce pollen or spores of pollen that make it a useful scientific that are different from pollen of other plant tool: species. This enables palynologists to link Microscopic size - most pollen grains dispersed pollen and spores found in rocks, are 10-70 um in diameter (there are 1,000 soil, dust etc., with the plants that produced um in a mm). them. * Corresponding author: [email protected] 87 E. DOBRESCU et al. Due to the development of properties over time. nanotechnology applications, plant pollen Pollen develops when a single can be used to identify perpetrators of chemically oxidized silicon in contact with crimes carried out with firearms. titanium oxide or mixed oxide. “Specific Microscopic pollen grains may remain composition of the mixture may vary attached to the cartridges, even well after depending on the weapon and the cartridges the bullet was fired and went through such “said Paul Sermon, professor of a barrel at high speed. criminology at the University of Surrey. Each “nanomark” is made up of According to UK Home Office in pollen grains and can be identified by Britain are held each year about 18,489 chemical composition analysis. Pollen crimes by armed attacks. Firearms and grains belonging to different species of ammunition are naturally contaminated with plants such as lilies, having a diameter of microscopic particles of pollen. Nanomarks about 30 micrometers are invisible to the can be used to solve crimes with an alternative human eye. Hundreds of pollen grains may method of harvesting the latest generation of remain attached to a cartridge, for periods skin cells from the surface of the cartridge. exceeding several years. The first such Cells remaining on the gun and cartridges nanomarks consist of ordinary pollen, a epidemic are the remains belonging to a dead natural substance that evolution has person who has handled the cartridge last. endowed with extraordinary adhesive Forensic and palynology Palynology is the science that deals Artificial classification takes into with the study palynomorphs (included in account only ornamentation and categories of vegetables or having morphology of pollen and spores - Potonié vegetable affinity), as well as spores, type classification. Palynology has pollen or prepollen. Palynology branches applications in many areas: taxonomy, are: a) current palynology paleoclimatology, archeology, geology, (actuopalynology) or palyno-logy in situ stratigraphy, the study of honey study pollen and spores extracted from the (Melissopalinology) oenology (oenolo- structure of plant breeding and gical), especially in forensics (forensic paleopalynology, palyno-morphs studying science) Palynology shares common features fossils. with the paleoecology and ecology is Palynology in situ using a natural particularly useful in researching problems classification palinomorfs- spores and problems of these sciences. pollen bearing the name in accordance with Paleopalino-logia (Palynology) is the Code of Botanical Nomenclature. There closely related with Palaeobotanical (field are classifications of palynology - an of study of macroscopic plant remains high, artificial classification system which and paleoalgology (study of fossil algae) follows a natural parallel to the taxonomic shares also Paleopalynology study with hierarchy (parataxonomy), due to the various groups of algae. ignorance of the taxonomy of origin spores and pollen. 88 International Journal of Criminal Investigation, 1, 2, 87-94 DEFINING THE ELEMENTS OF NEW SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES - PALYNOFORENSICS Legal Palynology dealing with the and has even been proposed as an additive study of pollen and dust, establish that a for bullets to enable tracking them. body or other object was in a certain place For instance, a dead body may be at a time. found in a wood, and the clothes may Pollen can tell a lot about where a contain pollen that was released after death person or object has been, because regions (the time of death can be determined by of the world, or even more particular forensic entomology, but in a place other locations such a certain set of bushes, will than where it was found. That indicates that have a distinctive collection of pollen the body was moved. species (Bryant V.M.). Pollen evidence can Today, New Zealand is the world also reveal the season in which a particular leader in the use of forensic palynology, and object picked up the pollen (Mildenhall the acceptance of this type of evidence in D.C.,). courts of law. Pollen has been used to trace activity In most of these cases the palynomorph at mass graves in Bosnia (Wood P.), catch data were an important factor in either solving a burglar who brushed against a Hypericum the case, or they were used to identify and link bush during a crime (Mildenhall D.C., 2006) a suspect to the scene of a crime. History elements of forensic palynology use Early researchers in palynology were The case in Sweden revolved around a the Greeks, and the first researchers’ woman who was killed in May, during a trip known names - Marcello Malpighi and in central Sweden. During the court hearing, Grew Nehemjah (in the seventeenth a number of experts, including a century). Palynology is a science in the palynologist, were asked to examine dirt 1836, through the work of Goeppert. In the attached to the woman's clothing. The twentieth century a well known name objective of those studies was to determine related to palynology is Ehrenberg. if the woman was killed at the same place Palynology is represented by the modern where she was found, or if she had been Couper, Faegri, Erdtman. In Romania, killed elsewhere and then dumped at the palynology was founded in Cluj by Emil scene where her body was discovered. Pop. Preliminary studies of the pollen in the It is difficult to establish precisely dirt samples suggested that she had been when the field of forensic palynology was killed elsewhere because the dirt lacked born. Attempts, whether successful or not, pollen from plants common in the area made prior to the 1950s, probably did not where the body was found (ie Plantago, gain much public attention and therefore Rumex and grasses). were not reported. Or, it is possible that if However, a later reinterpretation of the earlier attempts were made, the results may forensic pollen samples noted that the have been purposely hidden from the murder could have occurred in May because media in order not to alert criminals about that was before the grasses and herbs in the the use of this new technique. Two of the region had pollinated. The two opinions earliest reported cases using forensic were both used as evidence in the court palynology occurred in 1959 - one in Sweden proceedings, but we do not know if the and the other in Austria (Erdtman, 1969). murder was ever solved. http://www.ijci. eu eISSN: 2247-0271 89 E. DOBRESCU et al. The importance of this case is that it In other early cases, during the 1960s is one of the earliest records in which and 1970s, Max Frei, a noted Swiss pollen data were considered as important criminalist, often used pollen as a forensic forensic evidence in a court case. tool to link suspects to events or to crime The second case, based primarily on the scenes (Palenik, 1982). Some of his most evidence recovered from a pollen sample noted cases include one in which a suspect associated with the crime, which occurred claimed that his pistol could not have been in Austria, dealt with the discovery of the used to commit a recent murder because it murdered victim's body, and the conviction had not been removed from its storage box of the criminal.
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