FORENSIC PALYNOLOGY

Author: Anusha Suresh, M.Sc Forensic Science, BHU.

Pollen is generally described as the fine powdery substance that is released by the male part of a flower or flowering plant and consists of tiny grains that consist of a male gamete that can fertilise a female ovule, and all of this would, under the right circumstances, eventually lead to the production of a whole new plant.[1] The niche of forensic palynology comes into the picture as the study of pollen, spores, or other acid-resistant microscopic plant bodies and using them in criminal investigations.[2]

Pollens are dispersed as part of a plant's reproductive propagation and therefore are dispersed through the wind, water, pollinator insects/animals, or even within themselves. There are a few ways one could use it in a forensic setting. They can be found on the victims and suspects' clothing, shoes, and skin when one either comes in contact with these plants/flowers or has moved through the soil where the pollens have been dispersed. 

When collecting samples, an investigator can collect samples from clothing, footwear, skin, and even hair, while also collecting control samples from nearby locations, or the locality of the victim and suspect for comparison. 

The pollens in the area are used to form a fingerprint regarding the type of plants and vegetation in the locality. This sort of fingerprint is used to compare the soil samples of different areas and analyse the origin of a given sample of soil. It is to be noted that a given profile is only a partial image due to the different pollen productions and dispersal of plants. These profiles of the soil samples from the victim and suspect are compared to produce any connections in the locations and movements.

Certain distinctive features of pollens make it a good 'forensic evidence', being they are-microscopic in size, produced in vast numbers, identified to a plant taxon, highly resistant to decay.

Therefore, these make great forensic evidence as they strictly adhere to Locard's principle of exchange as one obtains soil and pollens from the scene while leaving their collections of biological and physical samples at the scene. Therefore, forensic palynology is an emerging field that is useful for forensics to relate to the following- 

References- 

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollen- Pollen
• Coyle, H. M. (2004). Forensic Botany: Principles and applications to criminal casework. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.newhaven.edu/forensicscience-books/2/