International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)
e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 11 Issue: 01 | Jan 2024
p-ISSN: 2395-0072
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Interdisciplinary Collaborations and Advancements: Amplifying the Potential of Diatom Analysis Debhjit Mukherjee1*, Bhavika Moza1, Shantanu Pathak2, Anveshion Chaudhury2, Annesha Saha3, Priyanka Dhondiyal4 1,2,4Post Graduate, Department of Forensic Science, Chandigarh University, Ludhiana, Punjab 3Post graduate, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of
Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka -----------------------------------------------------------------------------***------------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract Forensic Limnology, a specialized subdivision within forensic science, utilizes diatom analysis as an indispensable tool for investigating cases near water bodies. Diatoms, minute algae with intricately patterned siliceous shells, serve as vital ecological indicators, providing critical evidence in diverse forensic scenarios. This comprehensive review underscores the paramount importance of diatom analysis in cases involving drowning, suspicious deaths near water bodies, and bodies disposed of in aquatic environments. Innovative techniques, such as Lefort aqua regia and fluorimetry, significantly enhance diatom extraction and detection efficiency. Optimal clothing material selection, favoring cotton, acrylic, and viscose, profoundly influences diatom retrieval dynamics, optimizing trace evidence collection. Despite inherent limitations, meticulous adherence to standardized protocols ensures reliable and robust results. The cutting-edge Microwave Digestion - Vacuum Filtration Automated Scanning Electron Microscopy approach showcases unparalleled precision in the estimation of postmortem intervals. Diatoms also function as invaluable geographical tracers, expertly aiding crime scene localization and facilitating meticulous tracking of individuals implicated in criminal investigations. While DNA barcoding holds immense potential in diatom identification, further database development remains imperative for widespread application. Inclusive case study demonstrates the diatom test's effectiveness in conclusively establishing drowning as the primary cause of death, bringing clarity to intricate forensic investigations. Diatom analysis within the field of forensic limnology emerges as an indispensable reservoir of invaluable evidence, notwithstanding its inherent limitations. Persistent advancements and seamless interdisciplinary collaborations hold the key to amplifying its potential, thereby fortifying justice-seeking endeavors and bestowing closure upon victims and their bereaved families. Key Words: Forensic Limnology, Diatom analysis, Drowning, Postmortem interval, Geographical tracers, DNA barcoding, interdisciplinary collaborations etc.
1. INTRODUCTION Forensic science assumes a paramount role in contemporary criminal investigations, furnishing invaluable evidence and profound insights that facilitate the quest for justice. Within this diverse and interdisciplinary field, diatoms, minute algae embellished with intricately patterned siliceous shells, have emerged as captivating and irreplaceable tools for forensic analysis [1][2], [3]. Forensic Limnology, a highly specialized subdivision within forensic science, directs its focus towards the scrupulous examination of freshwater ecosystems encompassing lakes, rivers, ponds, and wetlands, all with the primary objective of assisting criminal investigations. This distinctive domain adroitly employs limnological principles and techniques to meticulously gather evidentiary material, meticulously reconstruct sequences of events, and provide profound insights into diverse forensic cases involving bodies discovered in or near aqueous environments. An indispensable facet of forensic limnology resides in the thorough scrutiny of diatoms, singular-celled algae embellished with siliceous shells known as frustules [4]. The precise tally of diatom species remains elusive, but it is frequently approximated to be approximately 10 4 [5]. Nevertheless, scholarly insights from [6]allude that adopting modern species concepts might escalate this enumeration to no less than 105 [7]. These photosynthetic algae are primarily sessile, demonstrating limited motility along a substrate through the excretion of mucilaginous material along a well-defined groove or channel known as a raphe. Diatoms, formally classified within the Division Chrysophyta and Class Bacillariophyceae, are further taxonomically delineated into two Orders. The first, presently identified as the Biddulphiales but previously denoted as the Centrales, showcases valve striae predominantly
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