Forensic science international最新文献

{"title":"Taphonomy and diagenesis of submerged bone: An experimental approach","authors":"Edda E. Guareschi ,&nbsp;Philip K. Nicholls ,&nbsp;Shanan S. Tobe ,&nbsp;Paola A. Magni","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112416","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112416","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bone taphonomy and diagenesis contribute to anthropological analysis in forensic investigations by attempting to reconstruct the relationship between human cadaveric remains and their postmortem depositional environment. The rare aquatic taphonomic experiments have been delivering conflicting results on the influence of time and the environment on the decay of bone and teeth, especially considering that the main diagenetic processes can lead to fragmentation, progressive dissolution or fossilization. The aim of this experimental, quantitative, randomized and controlled 2-year study was to analyse the taphonomy and diagenesis of submerged terrestrial mammalian bones to achieve a more accurate estimation of both the post-mortem interval (PMI) and the post-mortem submersion interval (PMSI) in the short term. Three parameters of bone diagenesis, the Oxford Histological Index (OHI), the total porosity and the collagen content of cortical bone were analysed by MicroCT Scan, bright-field Light Microscopy (Picrosirius Red stain), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) on 75 sheep femurs and tibias placed in four distinct types of environment (natural saltwater, natural freshwater, an artificial seawater solution and exposed to the air) vs. non-exposed controls. LA-ICP-MS was soon discontinued because no measurable changes of the elemental profiles could be detected. Multivariate statistical analysis was applied to the collected data. The macroscopical preservation was consistently excellent (OHI=5). The total porosity and the degradation of collagen were greater underwater than in subaerial exposure, whereas demineralization zones and bioerosion tunnelling appeared after 12 months in the air-exposed samples only. Underwater, the continuous movement, the correlated abrasion by sand and sediment and the constant alkaline pH (≥ 8) can explain the progressive removal of the mineral component and the subsequent exposure of collagen to bioeroders and chemical hydrolysis. On land, the same process occurs at a slower rate on account of the seasonality of the water flow, however, the action of the more abundant and diversified species of bioeroding microorganisms appears more efficient. Despite some limitations, this study indicates that three parameters of bone diagenesis can predict the depositional environment of terrestrial mammalian bone characterized by a PMI and/or PMSI of at least 12 months.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"370 ","pages":"Article 112416"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143549325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Perovskite-based photoluminescent detection of lead particles in gunshot residue","authors":"Kendra Adelberg ,&nbsp;Arno van der Weijden ,&nbsp;Lukas Helmbrecht ,&nbsp;Diede Blaauw ,&nbsp;Arian C. van Asten ,&nbsp;Willem L. Noorduin","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112415","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112415","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gunshot residue (GSR) analysis is crucial for forensic investigations of shooting incidents, but current methods are time-consuming, laborious, and provide limited spatial resolution. We introduce photoluminescent lead analysis (PL-Pb) for instant high-resolution GSR detection. Lead particles in GSR react into lead halide perovskite semiconductors that emit bright green light under ultraviolet irradiation. PL-Pb enables trace detection of GSR, including ricochet markings, bullet wipes, and combustion plumes. Our method visualizes fine details like rifling patterns and facilitates and extends shooting distance reconstructions. We find that PL-Pb is also suitable for rapid presumptive testing of shooting suspect’s hands, clothes, shoes, and other relevant objects. The instant results, sensitivity, and spatial resolution of perovskite-based detection of lead-containing micro-traces offer unprecedented opportunities for forensic investigations and environmental studies on lead particles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"370 ","pages":"Article 112415"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143578746","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improvement of the Forensic International Dental Database (FIDB) for adult age-at-death estimation using root dentin translucency: A simplified alternative methodology","authors":"Roberto C. Parra ,&nbsp;Gonzalo Garizoain ,&nbsp;Erika Alvarado Muñoz ,&nbsp;Claudia Aranda ,&nbsp;Raoul Bationo ,&nbsp;Karen Escalante-Flórez ,&nbsp;Leandro Luna","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112433","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112433","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Root Dentine Translucency (RDT) has been shown to strongly correlate with adult chronological age. Since the first proposals, several methodological improvements and tests were fulfilled to reduce error and evaluate the performance of the procedure across samples from diverse populations. Recently, a Bayesian calculation model that analyzes both RDT and periodontal retraction (named Forensic International Dental Database; FIDB), was developed to improve the reliability of age estimates, and tested on a global scale. This study aims to evaluate a novel FIDB procedure that introduces a logarithmic transformation into the calculations and utilizes RDT as the sole age predictor. It was conducted on a sample of 142 intact teeth from Peruvian individuals and the lowest errors were observed in the 40–49 and 50–59 years cohorts, with biases ranging from −0.96 to 1.61 years and inaccuracies between 5.73 and 6.16 years. The other cohorts show acceptable margins of error, with biases and inaccuracies remaining below 11 years. The main contribution of this research is the finding that better accuracy can be achieved when age estimation is based solely on RDT measured from intact teeth, excluding periodontal retraction as a relevant estimator. However, these initial trends must be validated on larger, more diverse samples to determine whether this new approach can be confidently applied in worldwide forensic contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"369 ","pages":"Article 112433"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143534263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the techniques and challenges for recovering human touch DNA from white rhino (Ceratotherium simum) to combat poaching","authors":"M.M. Manqana,&nbsp;L. Wessels,&nbsp;J.P. Grobler,&nbsp;K. Ehlers","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112417","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112417","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The trade in white rhinoceros (<em>Ceratotherium simum</em>) horns poses a significant threat to the survival of this species and additional investigative tools for rhino poaching cases are essentially required to address this challenge. This study explored additional techniques and challenges for recovering human touch DNA from rhino. Experiments depositing touch DNA on rhino during dehorning projects were carried out. Fifty-five human touch DNA samples were gathered from target regions on 15 rhinos (ears, head, legs, horn and back). Recovery of touch DNA using swabs with different tips and compositions as well as a tape lifting method were tested. DNA profiling was performed using the PowerPlex^R ESI 16 kit (Promega). From the readable profiles (n = 35), 34 % partial and 3 % full profiles were reportable and thus it would have been possible to use these DNA profiles to link suspects to criminal activities. The study demonstrated that it is possible to obtain reportable human DNA profiles from rhinos and that the technique should be considered as an additional forensic investigative tool to be used in wildlife crimes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"369 ","pages":"Article 112417"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143548809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimation of the post-mortem interval: a review","authors":"Juan Luis Ruiz López,&nbsp;Manuel Partido Navadijo","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112412","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112412","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Determination of the time of death and <em>post-mortem</em> interval (PMI) is a major task for Legal and Forensic Medicine, given the implications it entails. In this respect, depending on the proximity to the moment of death, this PMI estimation will be simpler or more complex. Traditionally, the estimation of the PMI has centred upon the analysis of corporeal rigidity, body temperature and the concentration of potassium within the vitreous humour. However, in recent years, innovative methodologies that facilitate an increasingly precise prediction of the PMI have been developed. Therefore, this article aims to compile and present a comprehensive overview of these PMI estimation techniques, in order to serve as a basic guide and reference point to understand the latest advances in this area, as well as to identify their limitations and to explore the potential future directions of this discipline.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"369 ","pages":"Article 112412"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143511232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Homogeneity of automotive paint system: Evaluation of chemical variability and degradation","authors":"Marie-Christine Bolduc ,&nbsp;Geneviève Massonnet ,&nbsp;Cyril Muehlethaler","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112413","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112413","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Automotive paint traces are common due to their ease of transfer during collisions between vehicles. These traces are frequently found in hit-and-run cases, and the use of databases can provide a list of potential makes, models, and years of production. It is well known that automotive paintwork is not homogeneous and can sometimes show variations in the number of layers (repairs, repaints), thickness and composition. Degradation due to external environmental conditions can also introduce differences in homogeneity within a vehicle. While it is generally known that a paint comparison sample should be taken in an area close to the damaged area, due to the heterogeneity of the paint application, the homogeneity of automotive paint over the entire body of a car is a subject that has received little attention in the literature. Therefore, the homogeneity of the paint system of eight vehicles was evaluated using microscopic examinations, spectroscopic analysis (infrared and Raman) and principal component analysis (PCA). Variability in the number and thickness of paint layers is observed in all of the different vehicles sampled. PCA of Raman and FTIR spectra reveals the presence of discrimination according to location, degradation and aftermarket refinishes. Degradation is evaluated by calculating the photo-oxidation index (POI). The results provide additional information when comparing references and paint traces taken from real cases and help to understand possible differences depending on the sampling location.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"369 ","pages":"Article 112413"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143511233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Textile fibres in the respiratory tract part 1: A background study","authors":"Maude Yerly ,&nbsp;Joanne Bonvin ,&nbsp;Yu Chen Lim-Hitchings ,&nbsp;Stefan Schaufelbühl ,&nbsp;Sabine Hess ,&nbsp;Kyra Lunstroot ,&nbsp;Geneviève Massonnet","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112410","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fibre traces recovered from the respiratory tract have the potential to be informative in cases of suspected smothering. In order to interpret such findings, it is important to understand the background population of fibres in respiratory tract such that the probabilities of adventitious recovery of such fibres can be assigned. This study builds upon previous studies by first testing various recovery methods on both living participants and cadavers. Once the most suitable recovery methods were identified, background sampling of fibres was carried out on living volunteers in the nostrils (using swabs) and oral cavities (using a rinse and filter method), as well as on cadavers in the nasal cavity and trachea (using AccuTrans® mould). A population study was carried out on these fibres to understand the occurrences of each generic class and colour of fibre groups and their lengths in these regions. A deeper analysis of non-differentiated fibre groups was also carried out to assess the group sizes expected in the background population. Ultimately, the results of the population study align closely in terms of frequencies with the general background population of other surfaces. Fibre group sizes were also generally small, with the largest group being three fibres.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"369 ","pages":"Article 112410"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143520580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Technical note: Proposed method to objectively evaluate gunshot residue comparisons does not generalize to different-location settings","authors":"K. de Bie ,&nbsp;M. Vinkenoog ,&nbsp;S. Ariëns ,&nbsp;T.L. Dirkse ,&nbsp;C. Kukurin ,&nbsp;C.J.M. van der Ham ,&nbsp;W. Bosma ,&nbsp;R.J.F. Ypma","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112414","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112414","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previously, we proposed a likelihood ratio system for pairwise source comparison of gunshot residue (GSR) samples based on elemental composition. Only pairs of GSR samples from the same location type (e.g., hand-hand) were considered, as the data originates from casework and ground truth is not available for samples from different location types (e.g., hand-cartridge case). This lack of sample pairs taken from different locations is a limitation, as casework will usually require such sample pairs to be evaluated. In this study, we test the impact of this sampling location limitation by evaluating the model with an experimental dataset for which ground truth was available for same-location as well as different-location pairs. We find a sharp decline in the performance of the model, with C_llr deteriorating from 0.35 to 0.98. Additional exploration of various system extensions does not lead to significant improvements. We discuss the potential causes for this decline and conclude the system is not currently ready for application in forensic casework.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"369 ","pages":"Article 112414"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143548658","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reproducibility and validation of a targeted and flexible epigenetic clock for forensic applications","authors":"Ersilia Paparazzo ,&nbsp;Mirella Aurora Aceto ,&nbsp;Teresa Serra Cassano ,&nbsp;Francesco Bruno ,&nbsp;Davide Lagrotteria ,&nbsp;Silvana Geracitano ,&nbsp;Antonella La Russa ,&nbsp;Alessia Bauleo ,&nbsp;Elena Falcone ,&nbsp;Vincenzo Lagani ,&nbsp;Giuseppe Passarino ,&nbsp;Alberto Montesanto","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112409","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>DNA methylation variants have been widely used as biomarkers of ageing and several mathematical models have been developed to estimate the biological age. More recently, DNA technology has triggered efforts toward the simplification of the array-based epigenetic clocks and targeted approaches, based on the assessment of a small number of CpG sites have been developed. Among the markers included in these clocks, <em>ELOVL2, FHL2, KLF14, C1orf132/MIR29B2C,</em> and <em>TRIM59</em> resulted to be the most strongly validated markers. We tested the reproducibility and validation of a previously developed targeted epigenetic clock purposely optimized for the measurement of chronological age in blood samples. The clock includes DNAm biomarkers strongly correlated with chronological age whose DNA methylation levels were measured by using a multiplex methylation SNaPshot assay. We found that epigenetic age, calculated using the developed clock, was highly correlated with age (r = 0.97) in a total of 201 blood samples covering a full spectrum of human ages. For 74 of these, methylation profiles of the whole genome were obtained through the Infinium Methylation EPIC v2.0 Kit which also allowed to estimate the most frequently used clocks of Horvath. These results show the potential of our efficient and affordable test for simultaneously measuring DNA methylation levels at multiple target CpG sites to assess chronological age. We observed a strong correlation between the prediction models for the analyzed CpG sites measured using the SNaPshot method and those obtained with the Illumina EPIC array, especially with the Horvath2 clock, which was specifically developed for DNA from skin and blood cells.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"369 ","pages":"Article 112409"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143453371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating temporal dynamics of both microbial taxonomic and functional characteristics as a tool for forensic time since deposition estimation","authors":"Qiong Lan ,&nbsp;Xiaolian Wu ,&nbsp;Qinglin Liu ,&nbsp;Qinglin Liang ,&nbsp;Xiaolong He ,&nbsp;Bofeng Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112406","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112406","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Predicting the time since deposition (TsD) of body fluid stain at a crime scene is highly valuable in forensic investigation, as it can connect a DNA-identified stain donor to a crime or estimate the post-mortem interval in forensic case involving cadaver. Previous study has demonstrated the applicability of microbial taxa for TsD prediction. In this proof-of-concept study, we explored the combined use of taxonomic and functional characteristics in human saliva microbiome for TsD prediction. We investigated the potential correlations between the temporal dynamics in microbial communities and the TsD of saliva stains, utilizing the relative abundance of microbial genera, amplicon sequence variants (AsVs), and the metabolic function pathway profiles. The results revealed that changes in the metabolic function pathway profiles of microbial communities could contribute to TsD estimation of the aged saliva stains. We developed ensemble models with multiple heterogeneous algorithms, also combined microbial species and metabolic function pathway profiles for TsD estimation. The TsD prediction model, developed using the relative abundance of the top 50 microbial genera and metabolic functional pathway profiles with the xgboost algorithm, achieved high accuracy (<em>R</em>^<em>2</em> = 0.76, mean absolute error = 6.28 days) in a 60-day deposition. Besides, we further interpreted the model and identified potential biomarkers for TsD estimation of saliva stains. The current study provided the first evidence to explore the potential of using multiple data modalities for predicting the TsD of aged saliva stains, offering valuable insight for forensic investigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"369 ","pages":"Article 112406"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143487081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}