Forensic science- something everyone must have heard not as a common career path but definitely in TV shows. However, it is not true in the series that one person conducts all the laboratory work and on-site investigation at the same time; that is why they are called TV series, and they are distant from reality. There are multiple disciplines within forensic science and biological evidence is one such sub-discipline. As the word says “Biological evidence”, it is evident that it refers to the sample of biological material such as hair, tissue, teeth, bones, blood, semen, saliva, sweat and other body fluids through which the person can be identified and thus the investigation can move forward. Biological evidence may play a significant part in identifying the culprit in some situations, and it can also be used as proof and to determine the truth of any case in the court of law. So now we know what biological evidence consists of, but the collection process for the evidence is still in question. Within biological evidence, there are a variety of analytical approaches. To name a few, I can say toxicology, anthropology, DNA analysis and many more. Toxicology is the detection, identification and quantification of toxicology relevant substances whose results aid in the investigation. Some common analyses are blood-ethanol analysis, carbon monoxide analysis and pesticide analysis to detect poisoning. DNA analysis is a very important and common analytical technique. It can be used for any biological evidence that is nucleated, through which DNA can be obtained. Some examples are cells of follicles on hair and the blood analysis. But just so you know RBC’s (Red Blood cells) are non-nucleated so the DNA is not obtained from it but rather from the WBC’s (White Blood cells). Tears, perspiration, and serum are examples of non-nucleated fluids in the body. Finally, anthropology is the study of bones to determine if they belong to an animal or a person. It also contains information on the victim's age, gender, and height, as well as the cause of death, which may be determined by examining the injuries on the bones.
One thing to keep in mind is that all biological evidence deteriorates over time. Thus, their collection and storage should be carefully done in order to ensure the preservation of the evidence and to avoid contamination. The transfer of evidence from one personnel to the investigation agency to the court must be done with extreme caution to avoid contamination of the evidence.
Thus, to conclude, I would like to say that there are multiple sub-fields in forensic science and thus one person can’t do all the jobs, so don't believe all that we see in TV series. There is much more to it. Forensic science is a very beautiful and interesting profession in my opinion. It is so fascinating!
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