Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is the most widely used technique in molecular biology to identify DNA samples, and it is a method regularly used in criminal cases. The PCR technique enables the amplification of specific genome regions by using a set of oligonucleotides (primers) that pair with the sequence of interest and a Taq polymerase that synthesizes DNA copies that are specific of the person to be identified. PCR reaction consists of several rounds of amplification in order to obtain sufficient DNA product to visualize it.
Forensic entomology is used in criminology to determine the time period between the discovery of a human body and the time that colonization by insects occurred, thereby providing an estimation of the post-mortem interval in human bodies. In addition, this technique can be used in abuse and other types of criminal cases because insect colonization also provides useful information about the nature of the decomposition processes in one crime scene.
