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The Development and Application of a Diatom‐Based Quantitative Reconstruction Technique in Forensic Science
Author(s) -
Horton Benjamin P.,
Boreham Steve,
Hillier Caroline
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2006.00120.x
Subject(s) - diatom , forensic science , range (aeronautics) , clothing , matching (statistics) , algae , crime scene , biology , ecology , geography , archaeology , medicine , engineering , pathology , aerospace engineering
Diatoms are a group of unicellular algae that have been recorded and classified for over 200 years and have been used in a range of applications in forensic science. We have developed a quantitative diatom‐based reconstruction technique to confirm drowning as a cause of death and localize the site of drowning in two recent, high‐profile, case studies. In both case studies we collected diatom samples from the local and/or regional area to act as a control in the examination of diatom assemblages associated with lungs and clothing. In Case Study 1 the modern analog technique suggested that all lung and clothing samples have statistically significant similarities to control samples from shallow water habitats. In Case Study 2, the analog matching suggested that the majority of lung samples show a statistically significant relationship to samples from a pond, indicating that this was the drowning medium.