Forensic Microbiomes: Solving Crimes with Microbial Evidence Course

Lesson 1 • History of Forensic Microbiology

Traces landmark cases where microbial evidence shaped investigations. Demonstrates the discipline's evolution from anecdotal use to systematic science.

Lesson 2 • Evidentiary Value of Microbial Data

Explains how microbial profiles function as trace evidence. Students assess admissibility criteria and the concept of microbial uniqueness.

Lesson 3 • Defining the Human Microbiome

Introduces body-site-specific microbial communities and their composition. Connects baseline microbiome knowledge to deviation detection in forensic scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Scene Contamination and Control

Identifies contamination sources that compromise microbial evidence integrity. Introduces control sampling strategies to distinguish scene microbiomes from contaminants.

Lesson 2 • Temporal Dynamics at Crime Scenes

Describes how microbial communities shift over time after an incident. Students use succession patterns to estimate time-since-event.

Lesson 3 • Geolocation Using Environmental Microbiomes

Explores geographic signatures embedded in environmental microbial profiles. Students link microbial data to probable origin locations of evidence.

Lesson 4 • Microbial Transfer and Persistence

Analyses how microbes move between hosts, objects, and surfaces. Explains persistence factors critical to interpreting contact evidence.

Lesson 1 • Collection Tools and Techniques

Introduces swabs, biopsies, bulk collection, and air sampling devices. Students match collection method to evidence type and substrate.

Lesson 2 • Field Safety and Biohazard Protocols

Addresses personal protective equipment and decontamination procedures at scenes. Ensures students protect themselves and the evidence simultaneously.

Lesson 3 • Quality Assurance in Sample Collection

Introduces QA metrics, field blanks, and duplicate sampling to validate collection quality. Links QA practices to downstream analytical reliability.

Lesson 4 • Sampling Strategy Design

Covers systematic approaches to selecting sampling locations and quantities. Connects statistical sampling theory to practical crime scene logistics.

Lesson 1 • 16S rRNA Gene Amplicon Sequencing

Covers primer selection, PCR amplification, and library preparation for 16S profiling. Students apply this method to characterise bacterial community composition.

Lesson 2 • Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing

Introduces whole-community sequencing for taxonomic and functional profiling. Students compare metagenomics to amplicon approaches for forensic applications.

Lesson 3 • Principles of Microbial DNA Extraction

Explains cell lysis strategies, inhibitor removal, and yield optimisation for complex matrices. Prepares students to troubleshoot extraction failures on forensic samples.

Lesson 4 • Handling Degraded and Trace DNA

Addresses amplification and sequencing strategies for damaged or minimal-quantity samples. Directly relevant to aged evidence and environmental degradation scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Taxonomic Classification Pipelines

Introduces OTU clustering, ASV denoising, and reference database alignment. Students assign taxonomy to microbial reads with quantified confidence.

Lesson 2 • Reproducibility and Pipeline Validation

Addresses version control, containerisation, and benchmarking for forensic bioinformatics. Ensures analytical results withstand legal and scientific scrutiny.

Lesson 3 • Raw Data Quality Control

Covers read quality assessment, adapter trimming, and filtering workflows. Establishes data integrity before any downstream taxonomic or functional analysis.

Lesson 4 • Functional Metagenome Annotation

Covers gene prediction, pathway mapping, and metabolic reconstruction from metagenomic data. Connects functional profiles to forensic inference about scene conditions.

Lesson 1 • Time-Since-Event Estimation

Applies microbial succession and decomposition models to estimate event timing. Students integrate multiple microbial indicators for more precise temporal inference.

Lesson 2 • Source Attribution Methods

Covers microbial source tracking algorithms and individual identification approaches. Students attribute evidence samples to probable human or environmental sources.

Lesson 3 • Probabilistic Interpretation Frameworks

Introduces likelihood ratios and Bayesian reasoning for microbial evidence evaluation. Students calculate and communicate the weight of microbial evidence objectively.

Lesson 4 • Reference Database Construction and Use

Explains how curated reference microbiome databases enable comparative forensic analysis. Students evaluate database completeness and bias for their investigative context.

Lesson 1 • Environmental Crime Investigations

Applies microbial evidence to illegal dumping, pollution, and wildlife trafficking cases. Students link environmental microbiome disruption to specific criminal activities.

Lesson 2 • Homicide and Death Investigation Cases

Applies microbiome analysis to post-mortem interval estimation and scene reconstruction. Students work through decomposition-based evidence interpretation exercises.

Lesson 3 • Sexual Assault Evidence Analysis

Covers microbiome-based approaches to body fluid identification and contact evidence. Students handle sensitive evidence with appropriate ethical and procedural care.

Lesson 4 • Bioterrorism and Pathogen Attribution

Examines microbial forensics in deliberate release and bioterrorism investigations. Students apply whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetics to attribute pathogen sources.

Lesson 1 • Writing Forensic Microbiome Reports

Covers structure, language, and content standards for expert forensic reports. Students draft reports that are technically accurate and accessible to legal audiences.

Lesson 2 • Scientific Standards for Evidence Admissibility

Reviews general acceptance, peer review, and error rate criteria applied to novel forensic methods. Students evaluate whether their microbial methods meet admissibility thresholds.

Lesson 3 • Preparing for Expert Witness Testimony

Trains students in direct examination, cross-examination, and deposition preparation. Builds confidence in defending microbial evidence methodology under adversarial questioning.

Lesson 4 • Challenging Opposing Expert Testimony

Equips students to critically evaluate opposing microbial evidence claims in legal contexts. Students identify methodological flaws and articulate rebuttals clearly.