Forensic Botany Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Forensic Botany - Essay Example There are issues of specificity, profile complexity, and reproducibility that lead to the rejection of botanical evidence in courts. Moreover, a higher number of samples, translating to the urgency for analysis to yield quality and quantity have often yielded poor DNA making analysis less effective (Hall, Byrd, & Wiley InterScience, 2012). These factors usually introduce new challenges in the identification of evidence in forensic botany. Scientists have identified the fact that most of the evidence comes in mixed proportions, complicating the analysis process. Therefore, this heightens the need to develop techniques that have the potential of sorting out the mixed samples to present specific evidence. Such effective methods will help investigators rely on botanical evidence that is subject to being discarded in the current days. The development of numerous techniques used in DNA profiling has served to lay a hope for the possibility of better approaches of identification that yield evidence that is dependable in courts. Apparently, an effective DNA analysis technique for use in forensic botany must meet certain requirements. The approach must have the potential of establishing distinct differences between individual species irrespective of a high correlation. Moreover, it should have the capacity to handle robust amounts of samples (Bock, & Norris, 2008). An additional requirement of immense criticality is the fact that the technique must exhibit the potential of positively analyzing degraded plant materials. Although scientists have made progress in developing tools with the capacity to satisfy the above described requirements, only a few of the developed techniques have the potential of meeting all the... The development of numerous techniques used in DNA profiling has served to lay a hope for the possibility of better approaches to identification that yield evidence that is dependable in courts. Apparently, an effective DNA analysis technique for use in forensic botany must meet certain requirements. The approach must have the potential of establishing distinct differences between individual species irrespective of a high correlation. Moreover, it should have the capacity to handle robust amounts of samples. An additional requirement of immense criticality is the fact that the technique must exhibit the potential of positively analyzing degraded plant materials. Although scientists have made progress in developing tools with the capacity to satisfy the above-described requirements, only a few of the developed techniques have the potential of meeting all the requirements. However, the short tandem repeats (STRs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Moreover, bar coding has emer ged for better analysis in the future.Specialists are usually very keen in making sure that collection of samples follows a standard procedure. The collection is a critical step because the seizure of the samples of interest occurs at this point. Prior to the collection of the intended samples, there is a need for a specialist to embark on an effective recognition procedure, before collection of the sample accurate recognition serves as the initial step in the dependence of forensic botany in identifying any sort of crime.