Entomology & Palynology

Who committed the crime? When? Even the smallest of witnesses can tell scientists stories that will make or break a criminal case. Insects and pollen grains help forensic scientists bring criminals to justice. A suspect escapes a crime scene, leaving not a trace of evidence behind—except for the hind leg of a grasshopper, which helps convict him of murder. A thief runs through a cornfield, relieved that no one saw him commit the crime—unaware of the tiny grains of pollen stuck to his shirt. Plants and insects hold clues to guilt or innocence. Evidence from nature is all around us, silently and swiftly leaving fingerprints, unnoticed by even the most cunning of criminals.