Can microbes keep time for forensic investigators?

Beans, Carolyn

doi:10.1073/pnas.1718156114

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Similarly, the parasite Toxoplasma gondii may arouse sexual masochism and submission [ 83, 84 ]. Microbes can change toxicology results, point to causes of death and match suspects to the scene of a crime [ 85 ]. Microbes can keep time for forensic investigators.…”

Section: Sdg 16 – Peace Justice and Strong Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Microbes can keep time for forensic investigators. This microbial clock allows for the identification of microbes at different stages of a body decomposition [ 85 ]. Further investigation and research in different seasons and environments needs to be done to have this forensic tool deployed in crime scenes and courtrooms.…”

Section: Sdg 16 – Peace Justice and Strong Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Accelerating the sustainable development goals through microbiology: some efforts and opportunities

Fagunwa

Olanbiwoninu

2020

Access Microbiology

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Modernization has thrown humanity and other forms of life on our planet into a ditch of problems. Poverty, climate change, injustice and environmental degradation are a few of the shared global problems. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The SDGs are well structured to address the global challenges we face including poverty, inequalities, hunger, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. Five years into the implementation, the SDGs have been driven mainly by international donors and ‘professional’ international development organizations. The world is left with 10 years to achieve these ambitious goals and targets. Various reviews show that little has been achieved overall, and the SDGs will not be a reality if a new strategy is not in place to bring inclusion. Microbiology, the scientific discipline of microbes, their effects and practical uses has insightful influence on our day-to-day living. We present how microbiology and microbiologists could increase the scorecard and accelerate these global goals. Microbiology has a direct link to achieving SDGs addressing food security, health and wellbeing, clean energy, environmental degradation and climate change. A non-classical growing relationship exists between microbiology and other SDGs such as peace, justice, gender equality, decent work and economic growth. The pledge of ‘Leave No One Behind’ will fast track progress and microbiology is in a better position to make this work.

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Section: Sdg 16 – Peace Justice and Strong Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sdg 16 – Peace Justice and Strong Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accelerating the sustainable development goals through microbiology: some efforts and opportunities

Fagunwa

Olanbiwoninu

2020

Access Microbiology

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“…One of the biggest advantages of microbiome analysis used in forensics is the diversity and the ubiquity of the microbial community in each person. Indeed, the human microbiota consists of 10–100 trillion symbiotic microbial cells unique to an individual [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Studies have shown that the human microbiome consists of various bacterial communities at different body sites.…”

Section: Use Of Microbiome In Forensic Sciencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, microbial communities’ changes have been evaluated to estimate the PMI and the circumstances of death [ 5 , 12 , 60 ]. Metcalf et al observed that the microbial communities changed with each step of cadaver decomposition, defining a “microbial clock” [ 3 , 12 , 60 , 61 ].…”

Section: Determination Of the Post-mortem Interval (Pmi) Using Microbiome Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Microbial Communities: An Emerging Tool in Forensic Sciences

et al. 2021

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The objective of forensic sciences is to find clues in a crime scene in order to reconstruct the scenario. Classical samples include DNA or fingerprints, but both have inherent limitations and can be uninformative. Another type of sample has emerged recently in the form of the microbiome. Supported by the Human Microbiome Project, the characteristics of the microbial communities provide real potential in forensics. They are highly specific and can be used to differentiate and classify the originating body site of a human biological trace. Skin microbiota is also highly specific and different between individuals, leading to its possibility as an identification tool. By extension, the possibilities of the microbial communities to be deposited on everyday objects has also been explored. Other uses include the determination of the post-mortem interval or the analysis of soil communities. One challenge is that the microbiome changes over time and can be influenced by many environmental and lifestyle factors. This review offers an overview of the main methods and applications to demonstrate the benefit of the microbiome to provide forensically relevant information.

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“…It is an ideal tool in forensic investigations as microbial signatures are unique and can be isolated to specific environments. It can also be used to estimate postmortem interval (PMI) and link objects to owners [4]. While further research is required for this investigative technique, there are several instances of forensic microbiology in current research in which its importance in the forensic community is demonstrated, leading the way to future applications.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%