Plant IT Pollen Forensic Problem Space

Plant IT Pollen forensic problem space

I. Cases

Identify the location of a crime based on pollen in soil, etc.

Identify time of crime based on pollen production

Lists 6-10 cases where pollen is key to solving crime. Shroud of Turin! Rugs from Iran? Or China?

II. Tools

Searchable data base of pollen images

III. Resources:

1. BSA “Crime Scene Botany” or parts of plants can provide significant supporting, sometimes, crucial evidence in solving crimes.

The reasons for this are several: 1) plant remains can be found almost everywhere; 2) they offer multiple sources of evidence, both macroscopic and microscopic, such as pieces of wood, (even as charcoal), seeds, fruits, leaves, twigs, plant hairs, microscopic air-borne pollen and spores, or in aquatic environments, algal cells; 3) their morphological diversity allows us to identify them and from the identification gather other useful information such as the season or geographical location in which a crime took place, whether a body has been moved following a murder; if a body is buried, how long it has been buried, and whether a suspect was present at the crime scene. Pollen and spores, in particular, have all the useful characters just mentioned. Being widespread in nature in the air and on most surfaces, we breathe them into our lungs and they stick to our clothes.

Pollen and spore exines are amazingly diverse, sometimes even to the species level, and their production is generally seasonally and often geographically restricted, thus their presence can point to a specific season, sometimes even a specific location, in which a crime was committed (Szibor, R. et al. 1998).

2. The Green Revolution: Botanical Contributions to Forensics and Drug Enforcement

Molecular methods can be used to identify a plant species from minute leaf fragments and pollen grains. Forensic botanists have used DNA technology because often botanical trace evidence does not contain the necessary morphological or histological features that would allow one to identify a plant at the genus or species level. This is particularly true for fragmented and deteriorated plant material. The Bode Technology Group, Inc. (Dr Robert Bever; Springfield, VA, USA) is developing and using molecular methods to analyze botanical trace evidence (2,3).

3. Forensic Palynology in the United States

Vaughn M. Bryant, Jr.
Palynology Laboratory
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843
Dallas C. Mildenhall
Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences
P.O. Box30368
Lower Hutt, New Zealand

Comprehensive article, many methods

4. Careers

Lynne Milne is a Palynologist at the Department of Geography at the University of Western Australia. Has image. Is an interview in FAQ style

A case she solved, told in sort of story form. MURDER

Wildlife forensic scientists

5. Papers

Environ Health Perspect. 1981 January; 37: 19–25. / PMCID: PMC1568631

Copyright notice

Research Article

Pollen genetic markers for detection of mutagens in the environment.

R A Nilan, J L Rosichan, P Arenaz, A L Hodgdon, and A Kleinhofs

IV. Activities and Skills

1. Make common resource library of local pollens

1. Collection techniques: Cellulose tape, baggies, paper envelopes, pollen-free brushes and gloves.
2. Use microscope to make and capture images, have scale bar
3. Learn to use micrometer to measure diameters
4. Determine ranges of sizes
5. Learn to post online

2. Make a model of pollen with scale bar

3. Case analysis

4. Field trip to collect pollen from two local areas with different blooming plants

5. Compare pollen from crime scene to that collected, identify crime scene plants.

4. Analyzing data and drawing conclusions about the case