A Grain Of Pollen Can Carry A Geographic Clue
A person walks through a field, brushes against a flowering plant, and continues without noticing anything. Tiny pollen grains may remain on a jacket, shoe, backpack, or vehicle long after the person leaves. Forensic scientists can study those grains for clues about where an object or person may have traveled. This field is called forensic palynology, the use of pollen, spores, and similar microscopic plant material in legal investigations.