Alotaibi Saqer S, Sayed Samy M, Alosaimi Manal, Alharthi Raghad, Banjar Aseel, Abdulqader Nosaiba, Alhamed Reem
Biotechnology Department, College of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.
Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt.
Saudi J Biol Sci. 2020 May;27(5):1185-1190. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.02.019. Epub 2020 Mar 4.
Palynology, which is the study of pollen and spores in an archaeological or geological context, has become a well-established research tool leading to many significant scientific developments. The term palynomorph includes pollen of spermatophytes, spores of fungi, ferns, and bryophytes, as well as other organic-walled microfossils, such as dinoflagellates and acritarches. Advances in plant genomics have had a high impact on the field of forensic botany. Forensic palynology has also been used and applied more recently to criminal investigation in a meaningful way. However, the use of pollen DNA profiling in forensic investigations has yet to be applied. There were earlier uses of dust traces in some forensic analyses that considered pollen as a type of botanical dust debris. Pollen grains can be studied for comparative morphological data, clues to unexpected aspects relating to breeding systems, pollination biology and hybridization. This can provide a better understanding of the entire biology of the group under investigation. Forensic palynology refers to the use of pollen and other spores when it is used as evidence in legal cases to resolve criminal issues by proving or disproving relationships between people and crime scenes. This overview describes the various contributions and the significance of palynology, its applications, different recent approaches and how it could be further employed in solving criminal investigations.
孢粉学是在考古或地质背景下对花粉和孢子进行研究，它已成为一种成熟的研究工具，带来了许多重大的科学进展。孢粉型生物包括种子植物的花粉、真菌、蕨类植物和苔藓植物的孢子，以及其他有机壁微化石，如甲藻和疑源类。植物基因组学的进展对法医植物学领域产生了重大影响。法医孢粉学最近也以一种有意义的方式被应用于刑事调查。然而，花粉DNA分析在法医调查中的应用尚未实现。在一些法医分析中，早期曾利用灰尘痕迹，将花粉视为一种植物性灰尘碎片。可以研究花粉粒以获取比较形态学数据，以及与繁殖系统、授粉生物学和杂交相关的意外方面的线索。这有助于更好地理解所研究群体的整体生物学特性。法医孢粉学是指在法律案件中，将花粉和其他孢子用作证据，通过证明或反驳人与犯罪现场之间的关系来解决刑事问题。本综述描述了孢粉学的各种贡献和意义、其应用、近期的不同方法以及它在解决刑事调查中如何能进一步发挥作用。
