EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Forensic botanists can use their knowledge of plant structure, anatomy, and environments to assemble sufficient evidence to convict a suspect by placing him at the scene of the crime or by establishing that an object or a body has been moved.

Detailed explanation-2: -Plant evidence can be useful for determining if a death was due to an acci-dent, suicide, or homicide, or what time of year burial may have taken place. In addition, plant evi-dence can be used to determine if a crime scene is a primary or secondary scene and to locate missing bodies.

Detailed explanation-3: -A forensic botanist must look not only at the different species in an area, but must also calculate the percentages of each species when comparing two locations. 5. Annual rings are formed as a result of differences in color of the lighter springwood and the darker winterwood.

Detailed explanation-4: -Forensic botany is all about plant identification. This may be identifying a plant-based toxin that was used to poison someone or the hairs of a leaf that are clinging to a murder suspect’s jacket. With a whole plant, or pieces of a plant like leaves or wood, DNA analysis can be used to identify the specimen.