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Animal Forensics and Applications

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Biotechnology: Prospects and Applications

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Abstract

Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences and technologies to investigate situations after getting the facts and to establish what occurred based on collected evidence. This is especially important in law enforcement where forensics is done in relation to criminal or civil law. In civil actions, forensics can help resolve a broad spectrum of legal issues through the identification, analysis, and evaluation of physical evidence. The field of forensic science covers document examination, DNA analysis using electronic or digital media, fingerprinting, autopsy techniques, forensic engineering, forensic anthropology, pathology, economics, accounting, biology, entomology, toxicology, and much more. In this chapter we have described different materials such as hair, blood, bone, teeth, saliva, nails, feathers, skin, leather, sperm, feces, and urine and different methods for extracting DNA from different sources. The applications of animal forensics can be broadly viewed in the following four categories such as animals can be the victim, can be the perpetrator, and can be the witness and wildlife forensics. Molecular animal forensics provides different genetic tools such as DNA sequencing, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), PCR-RFLP, and microsatellite analysis for species identification and for characterization or identification of a sample recovered from a crime scene or illegal wildlife traders and black markets involved in wildlife trade. The genetic identification can be done as species identification, identification of geographic origin, individual identification, etc. Mitochondrial and nuclear markers can be used for genetic identification of the species. Identification of geographic origin is done by phylogeography and population assignment methods. To summarize, various techniques of individual identification, sexing, and parentage can be used. These techniques involve the microsatellite genotyping, DNA nucleotide sequencing, SNP typing, RAPD, and AFLP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Biotechnology, LLR University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar, India

    P. Minakshi, M. Shafiq, A. Alisha, K. Ranjan, P. Kumar, B. Anshul, R. Singh,  Basanti,  Supriya & G. Prasad

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  1. P. Minakshi
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  2. M. Shafiq
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  3. A. Alisha
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  4. K. Ranjan
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  5. P. Kumar
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  6. B. Anshul
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  7. R. Singh
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  8. Basanti
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  9. Supriya
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  10. G. Prasad
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Correspondence to P. Minakshi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, Haryana, India

    R.K. Salar

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, Haryana, India

    S.K. Gahlawat

  3. Department of Biotechnology, Chaudhary Devi lal University, Sirsa, Haryana, India

    P. Siwach

  4. Department of Biotechnology, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, Haryana, India

    J.S. Duhan

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Minakshi, P. et al. (2013). Animal Forensics and Applications. In: Salar, R., Gahlawat, S., Siwach, P., Duhan, J. (eds) Biotechnology: Prospects and Applications. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1683-4_20

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