Forensic Science Application of Environmental Dna or Edna

Question:-

Environmental DNA, or eDNA, is collected from a variety of environmental samples such as soil, water and surfaces. Describe how eDNA could be used in a forensic context with examples from the literature. You will need to include the technology used, applications and any ethical considerations that might arise.

Answer:-

DNA is used as evidence to identify the victims and criminals. Therefore, the DNA plays an important role to promote criminal justice and safeguarding of the civil society. In the modern age, the nature of crime is changing. Along with it, the nature of evidence in forensic science is also changing. Environmental DNA or eDNA is one of the latest developments in the field of DNA. eDNA is used in many sampling procedures such as water sampling, freshwater sampling and terrestrial soil sampling or any other environments where using conventional sampling procedure is not possible. In forensic science also, collecting DNA from an organism directly is not possible always. Therefore, the future applicability of eDNA is also high in a field of forensic science. The current research aims at identifying how eDNA can be used in forensic science.

DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is defined as the hereditary element in organisms. It contains biological coding to create the organisms. The DNA for all organisms contains the same chemical structure although those differences add observed in terms of DNA block orders which are known as base pairs. The sequence of base pair is unique for each species and individuals.

The environmental DNA or eDNA is defined as the DNA that is released by an organism to the environment. Different organisms interact with the environment in a different way. Therefore, the eDNA in soil, land, or water in cellular and dissolved form. The common sources of eDNA are hair, shades skin, mucus, and faeces.

Currently, eDNA is widely used in biodiversity detection. Use of eDNA is advantageous over the traditional DNA in various ways as indicated in the biodiversity detection. For instance, the use of eDNA ensures a higher chance of detecting a species than the conventional methods because of the high sensitivity of the technique. In forensics, the DNA is collected mostly using a swab. In swab-based tracing techniques, the moistened swab is used for traversing the target area. The swab is rotated multiple times while pressure is applied. However, the cotton swabs are not effective to collect an adequate sample (Van Oorschot, Ballantyne, & Mitchell, 2010).