Date of Award
4-2023
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Department
Biological Science
Advisor/Committee Chair
Igor Lednev
Major
Biology
Committee Member
Ryan Thurman
Abstract
The use of science to compile information to assist in solving crimes is known as forensic science. Numerous bodily fluids, such as blood, semen, saliva, and vaginal fluid, are frequently discovered at crime scenes. This makes it crucial for forensic scientists to use analytical methods to examine these fluids to learn more about the crime, including the offender, victim, time since deposition, and other details. Although there are many techniques, the focus of this paper is fluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence spectroscopy is a rapid, inexpensive, and non-destructive technique used for forensic examination (Weber & Lednev, 2022). Fluorescence spectroscopy can be used to analyze the characteristics of the molecules and atoms in the samples, such as the presence of proteins and other biomolecules, which can help identify the type of fluid, and the time since deposition ("What Is Fluorescence Spectroscopy?” n.d.). For these reasons, it is important to analyze and compare fluorescence of all forensically relevant body fluids. In this paper, fluorescence spectroscopy techniques done on select body fluids (semen, sweat, urine, vaginal secretions, and saliva) will be discussed to determine effective techniques and possibilities for future research. Previous reviews have been done on peripheral and menstrual blood, which is why they will not be included in this review (Weber et al., 2021; Wójtowics et al., 2021).
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Patel, Raghavi, "A Review of the Forensic Applications for the Analysis of Biological Fluids Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy" (2023). Biological Sciences. 94.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/honorscollege_biology/94