Pollen molecular biology: Applications in the forensic palynology and future prospects: A review

Palynology, which is the study of pollen and spores in an archaeological or geological context, has become a well-established research tool leading to many significant scientific developments. The term palynomorph includes pollen of spermatophytes, spores of fungi, ferns, and bryophytes, as well as other organic-walled microfossils, such as dinoflagellates and acritarches. Advances in plant genomics have had a high impact on the field of forensic botany. Forensic palynology has also been used and applied more recently to criminal investigation in a meaningful way. However, the use of pollen DNA profiling in forensic investigations has yet to be applied. There were earlier uses of dust traces in some forensic analyses that considered pollen as a type of botanical dust debris. Pollen grains can be studied for comparative morphological data, clues to unexpected aspects relating to breeding systems, pollination biology and hybridization. This can provide a better understanding of the entire biology of the group under investigation. Forensic palynology refers to the use of pollen and other spores when it is used as evidence in legal cases to resolve criminal issues by proving or disproving relationships between people and crime scenes. This overview describes the various contributions and the significance of palynology, its applications, different recent approaches and how it could be further employed in solving criminal investigations. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.