The ability to analyze body fluid traces is critical for determining the key details of a crime, and now a combination of advanced statistical methods and multidimensional Raman spectroscopic signatures shows potential for addressing the shortcomings of standard approaches and minimizing false-negatives and positives, and this approach has several other potential applications.
The analysis of body fluid traces during forensic investigation is critical for determining the key details of a crime. Ideally, analytical methods are confirmatory, nondestructive, and applicable to multiple fluids; however, no methods currently in use meet these criteria. Standard biochemical tests are typically destructive and require hazardous chemicals as well as specialized skill, and none work in analyzing all body fluids. Raman spectroscopy has shown potential for rapid, nondestructive, and confirmatory identification from specimens as small as a few femtoliters or picograms without preparation. It is at the basis of a novel, universal approach for analysis of forensic evidence. (publisher abstract modified)