Join me for a deep dive into the green transformation for me, for you, for the plant. Ah, ah, the essence to solving crimes is evidence. Im fishing. If i didnt even the perfect medicine, you always take something wiki. Will you leave something behind you . Its new forensic methods and making the invisible, visible most trace evidence comes from nature dis, a mind to soil in the palm of my hand contains more individual organisms than there are a number of people that live on this whole planet. But there remains much to discover open questions to answer technologies to develop collect his geometry. Question is, how long has these trace been here . Did you only when i know that can i link it to the well as yield . Time is also relevant in other investigations. Often if im hoping that we can say, for instance, this pew perry, im is 2 to 2 and a half years old or this pu perry. Im is 8 weeks old woman. I will the perfect crime soon. Be a thing of the past. Ah ah, lulu. Every flowering plant produces it. It wafts through the air, often invisibly, attaching itself to everything that moves. Pollen leaves its mark everywhere and can even help solve crimes lose the sail wolves surrounding each individual grain is so stable that poland can survive millions of years. Vienna, the austrian capital, is home to thee expert in the field of forensic pollen analysis. Martina vega, heads the department of structural and functional botany at the university of vienna. Shes one of a few scientists world wide working in the field of forensic pollen analysis. On a sunny day in may in low austria road workers working in the helen towel, a popular Tourist Destination near vienna made a discovery that starkly contrasted with their a dealing surroundings. They found a corpse lying in a roadside ditch the criminal Investigation Department of the state of low austria launched immediate investigations to lasha. And i think the body was wrapped in a blanket. And yet it was immediately clear that there had been a violent crime. So we took up the investigation for the crime scene and homicide teams from the states criminal Investigation Department drove out to her and talked and we were quite certain that the location where the body was found was not where the crime had been committed with mister todd of the investigators soon turned to martina vega. Civil didnt have im in, im thinking the dead man was wrapped in a blanket on the it most likely came from the primary crime scene or at least from the perpetrators. What if, and thats why we examined this blanket thoroughly, did come with him, of course, because you cant wash the whole thing. But you cant small pieces out of where there is no to go clumping. Or why you suspect them might be Something Interesting underneath it of the think that is that is that of the football and after washing the sample, its centrifuge to separate it into its component parts. Paula knology is the scientific term for poland analysis. The study of scattered dust. Oh, the 1st person world wide to solve a murder case with the help of forensic pathology was vill him klaus martina webers mentor. Here at the university of vienna, at time, the suspect had the whole of vienna on tenterhooks, because the murder victim could not be found in love at 1st thing over the course of a year. He hath named a wide variety of places in the vienna region yet, but nothing was discovered until professor Wilhelm Klaus showed up out this. He was a police botanist here at the university of vienna voc, under biologist, by training there have to make he had the brilliant idea of testing the suspects. Shoes and clothing fits all. Pollen of poor, noticeable flu. Among the thousands of pullin samples, professor klaus found was fossilized hickory pollen from alone, extinct species. That once grew near what is now the village of spillane in low austria. Confronted with these, finding the suspect confessed, and revealed the bodies exact location to day, many know about dna traces and how to avoid leaving them. The criminals too, but poland traces i everywhere and are extremely persistent. Ah, martina vba is working on a case that dates back almost 2000 years. Its not a crime case, but rather the scene of a natural disaster. Shes attempting to correct a possible historical error. When the volcano vesuvius erupted, it completely buried the ancient city of pompei, the ash preserved the city, and many of its inhabitants in the last seconds of their lines. The eruption date of august 2479, c. E derives from the letters of pliny, but other writings and findings suggest that the eruption did not occur until october 2 investigate this discrepancy samples were taken from the nostrils of some of the victims. Martina vega is now examining them to determine from the inhaled pullin. What season the samples are from free flying, poland gets caught in the estimated bone, the bone at the end of the nasal cavity. It usually stays there for about 40 minutes before it is exhaled back out through the nose. By examining residual pollen on a corpse as f moines bone, conclusions can be drawn about the last 40 minutes of that persons life. There are 4 samples to examine the poland from the nostrils, a centrifuge, and then boiled in a mixture of acetic acid and high dried and sulphuric acid. This process removes everything but the pollen wool, martina they, but then begins the counting process under the light microscope. Gradually she determines which pollen grains are represented in the sample and in what frequency they occur. Based on the microscope count, a so called pullin diagram is created was the here theme is the what we have here is the sample from a child has gone that i specifically from the nasal, based on we examined the material to soon discover the diverse array of plans have trans crowns, which indeed grew in pompei like in pine all around the al if trees then autumn easier than after. And there was also a, hey, dora, he likes pollen grain, hell rather loads of them with a. So if he did the fans, ivy is ivy pollen. If i fi, fi tends to now and later in the year, ah, oh, this vast amounts of course was relevant to our Research Question of whether we can ascertain if the volcano really erupted on august 24th, or much nature in the year. No cost. Ill get broken. Is there a big debate on the matter crossing his console and should the eruption date of Mount Vesuvius on the 24th of august 79. C. E. Be moved to the flowering period of ivy. In the autumn, it would be a sensation if the date of this world historical event would it be changed on the basis of a pollen examination . The whole entire case has not yet been solved either. The tests for pulling on the woollen blanket a still in progress barely visible to the naked eye and yet so rich in information. The pollen grains swelling from flower to flower have breezed into the ranks of forensic methods. But they are not alone with its unique profile, the soil in which the plants grow is also valued in investigations. Aah, luna dawson is one of the worlds leading experts in the field of soil forensics. Shes consulted by Police Departments from all over the world. Ah. This, the mind to soil in the palm of my hand contains more individual organisms living together. Then there are the number of people that live on this whole planet. So just imagine how many that really is this is teeming with life. And that information can tell us so much about the soil, that is the home for these multiple organisms. The micro organisms in the soil are responsible for its structure and fertility. They break down toxins, help plants absorb nutrients and contribute to their resilience. But can soil also bear witness to a crime . Galloway forest park in southwest scotland is the largest contiguous forest in the united kingdom. Tourists and hike as are attracted by the unspoiled Natural Environment with its diverse animal and plant populations. But on june 12 2019 walk has encountered more than pristine nature. Hidden beneath some branches in a hollow in the earth, they discovered a corpse investigate as quickly established that it was a woman who had been missing for weeks, and that the cause of death was unnatural. They soon had a suspect. Police sent several soil samples to lorna dawson for analysis. The scientist compared the soil samples from where the body was found with samples collected from the suspect surroundings. Theres a whole range of different methods that can be used to can ties the sole biology and the still a lot of the search to be done to make sure that and when youre competing ah, unknown sample with a known sample. And that the same procedure is carried out, cuz thats absolutely vitally important, that the any analysis is carried out on a, on no one a question sample. You have to use the same procedure for any reference sample, its going to be compared to it. What about the soil samples in the current Murder Investigation . Could lorna dawson helped to solve the case in the investigation . The disappearance of emma folds. The police sent us a suspect pair of timberland and i was asked to examine them and to determine from the examination. What type of soil that was and any vegetation within it, what clues that could give us to where that person had stood or had walked wearing those those shoes or boots. In this case, i technologies an analytical methods are constantly evolving, ever smaller samples of thighs for investigations. Microscopic soil residue on shoes can betray where a person has been. Even tiny organisms can provide Important Information at Frankfurt Institute of forensic medicine, entomologist yes. Amens works with some of them. The wilsons in forensics, we use insects, and especially flies, to clarify questions about the victims time of death because the traditional forensic procedures only work well one to 2 days after that and yet. So in that window, you can estimate quite well when exactly the person died. Storm is, but after that, there are no reliable forensic methods gift. However, if insects have developed on the corpses usually fly maggot license, then we can use these to figure out the minimal amount of time the person has been dead for minch ministers from tools. The 1st step is to determine the species on the corpse. Then the developmental stage of each species is examined, flies live on average about 3 weeks. And within that time lay several 100 eggs. The maggots hatch off to 12 to 25 hours. The lovell and pupil stages each last about 10 days. Mm hm. Out of i as a function to formally forensic entomology works relatively well to the exact day in the 1st 3 to 4 weeks after colonization of all. Thats how long it takes for the adult fly to hatch. Having passed through the egg, maggot and pupil stages of 3 to 4 weeks approximately this week, and after that accuracy is pretty much impossible. I mean, it wasnt like and so were hoping that the analysis, the chemical analysis of these empty view area will allow us to narrow down the time period beyond that point. By now several weeks, several months, maybe even several years. May i am worn out the feel i forgot me . Of a yog, the pupil casing the so called p peria canal for further clues. One in 5165, and our forensic work were trying to determine if the weathering of the pew peria is the shells that remain indefinitely intact at the site where the corpse was found. If the weathering can be quantified on the english of defer veto, thats where the cute secular hydrocarbons come in. If it a corner of a social, the shells contain specific hydrocarbon chains. That is, when buses off, we believe that over the course of time they break down the lay, decompose from long chains into increasingly shorter chains separation. So follow him of course. So the analysis helps determine what hydrocarbon structures are actually still present in the cuticle for the an elusive, efficient busing doesnt. I hits for we can reconstruct temporal processes. That is we can work out how long has this pu perry. Im actually been lying here at the site where the corpse was found. I need to hear life and foot on the surface of all insects. There are organic chemical compounds composed of carbon and hydrogen. Traces of these so called q tequila. Hydrocarbons can also be found in the pew peria and are analyzed in the gas chromatograph his law with i believe that with the help of these 2 peria, we can narrow down time periods that lie in the range of months or years on this of im hoping that we can say, for instance, this pu perry, im is 2 to 2 and a half years old or this pew perry. Im is 8 weeks old. Of the research is still in the developmental phase, but yes, im in his confident that theyll be able to apply the new analyses soon as was ongoing myna. What special about my work as a forensic entomologist is that i get to link basic research to its immediate implementation next year in of us as a squish a. So i can start an experiment to answer a fundamental question and a concert, and that answer in turn helps my work on cases at the institute ish mint on an provides the answers, the police and prosecution ne auto body plates high for me. Thats the biggest incentive from and the fun of it that goes to unclipped my glasses pasta by noon. Its exactly the spirit of innovation, curiosity and broad scientific interest that so indispensable in the forensic disciplines. Because often there is more than one way to solve a problem. To get results, you have to use your imagination, be open for new perspectives and always have one eye on the latest research developments. And what about the investigations into the eruption of Mount Vesuvius . Worthy ivy flowers martina vega found the evidence for a later eruption date damn says in fact the she found it in the 2 children Nicholas Norfolk but not in the year out iceland. Where was the single pollen grain there i think and not in the reference sample. Hi, veronica. There was significantly less bab and in the childrens noses. Yeah. Then you have to think it was missing. What do i do with it . Now the me with these results this month, bye was hes i, there are 2 problem is even this is more than one is just that, that it was only found in the children of skulls exist the if i the 2nd is that hater a helix, the ivy is an insect pollinated clam before its pollen and doesnt just lie around it on its own beside which means that the pole and must have somehow actively entered the nostril. Seattle, bashful sadly dismal, took the explanation in the end. It was that in from past time in the flower beds were preserved in oil o wines. Youngster and a medicine was produced from its which was tripped into the nose as if children with respiratory problems seen outside in, within kingdom. I often wish we hadnt, and not only apple and spectrum was making a lot of sandwich. Spectrum guns facing there was poland in the childrens skulls in not in the adults square and all so significantly less in the reference sample. If you cant vedic and that if its proven so for the time being the eruption of vesuvius in 79, c, e remain stated to august the 24th. Its not enough to find the traces. They must also be considered in an interdisciplinary way. Because without the knowledge that at that time, the pullin was also processed. In other substances, the avi trace would have led to false interpretations for martina vba. This was an interesting excursion into history, but its time to return to the present the clarification of the whole entire case in austria is making slow progress. Tomantino. Mm hm. Mm hm. And weve worked with martina vba on a number of cases in the past. And in this case to where we didnt know where the crime was committed, we started by doing a pollen examination on the items found with the body point, the blanket, for example, and the victim shoes authorization. The idea being to determine which regional, where these items could have come from of eva from and Martina Verba from the university of vienna has already helped us with some cases in the passcode based on the pollen structure. And she could tell the broad region the individual came from always staying in and what distinctive flowers plans trees would be found. Growing in that area. Ward, these epistle here come to levels in new york gone. What will the pollen trace analysis from the roadside bodies blanket reveal. Another tool for revealing and understanding evidence is bloodstain pattern analysis. Its used in investigations, especially when blood stains found at crime scenes do not match the suspects version of events which punish itself causing crime scenes where theres a lot of blood we will focus on the blood stain. Very often, the perpetrators will often say, so i only hit one source in the heat of the moment. Oh whatever, a crime of passion it was, and the bloodstain pattern shows a completely different story, a different picture, and others. It means that we can disprove that. It was one blow that fell in the heat of the moment because in reality there were 15 blows and they were not from the from to, from behind on. So blood stain analysis can tell us a lot about the nature of the crimes, but by the blood stained patent wouldnt how the rule of all southern the french mediterranean metropolis of marseilles is the location of a Forensic Laboratory run by one of the most innovative experts in bloodstains phillipe esperanza, people from all over france and other countries to cool on his expertise the analysis of blood stain patterns can provide Important Information for crime reconstruction by examining and interpreting distribution patterns. Forensic scientists can estimate the location time and intensity of violent actions than the one that is it has the ssl. So the, the analysis of bloodstain is, is based on the description of what you see in this case. And that is primarily the shape of the size and the dispersion of the blood stains. That is where they have found their location, who are the Different Services they have found on will again and their distribution leave you . How are they arranged in relation to one another lease, or they convergence as can, while they distributed in a linear pattern . Its one of these other fold principal aspects in identifying bloodstained patterns. You dont, she then modelled because thisll mm. Theyre aluminum based chemical agents that can detect traces of blood that have been wiped away when applied to surfaces that have had blood on them. The ion in the blood acts as a catalyst for the oxidation reaction. In the dark, the bloodstained glows blue and can be photographically documented. Conventional agents however, destroy the dna. In the stains leap, esperanza has developed a recipe to preserve the blood dna. His re, agent bluestar, is applied in a case in nor see a man is suspected of having k