Basics of Biology Practical

1.
Aim- To identify the biological fluids.
Material Required- Microscope, slides, pen, paper, pencil, scale.
Theory-
THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPE OF EVIDENCE THAT ARE FOUND IN CRIME SCENE-
 Blood
 Semen
 Urine
 Saliva

BLOOD-
It is medium within the cardiovascular system. Blood has various functions as-
1. Act as an internal transporting oxygen and nutrients to the lungs and
tissues
2. Forming blood clots to prevent excess blood loss
3. Carrying cells and antibodies that fight infection
4. Bringing waste products to the kidneys and liver, which filter and clean the
blood
Components of Blood
There are many cellular structures in the composition of blood. When a sample
of blood is spun in a centrifuge machine, they separate into the following
constituents: Plasma, buffy coat and erythrocytes. Thus blood contains RBC, WBC,
platelets and plasma.
 Red Blood Cells (also called erythrocytes or RBCs) Known for their bright
red color, red cells are the most abundant cell in the blood, accounting for
about 40 to 45 percent of its volume.
 White Blood Cells (also called leukocytes) White blood cells protect the
body from infection. They are much fewer in number than red blood cells,
accounting for about 1 percent of your blood. Each neutrophil lives less
 than a day, bone marrow must constantly make new neutrophils to
maintain protection against infection
 Platelets (also called thrombocytes) Platelets help the blood clotting
process by gathering at the site of an injury, sticking to the lining of the
injured blood vessel, and forming a platform on which blood coagulation
can occur.
BLOOD AS EVIDENCE
Blood is one of the most common biological piece of evidence at the crime scene,
especially in violent crimes. Bloodstains are frequently seen at the crime scene
and can be easily detected due to their color and structure. Because blood and
bloodstains can potentially be evidence of a crime, offenders often tend to clean
or wash them to get rid of relevant evidence.
There are two different types of blood that can be collected at a crime scene:
 Liquid blood evidence is generally collected from blood pools
 Dried bloodstains can be found on small objects, larger objects and on
clothing. When dried blood is found on a small object the entire object can
be sent to the lab after it’s been properly packaged and labeled.

SEMEN-
It is a thick viscous fluid heavier than water when it exposed to air, semen
gradually loses its gelatin like consistency. Semen also known as seminal fluid, is
an organic bodily fluid created to contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the
gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male.
Semen is produced and originates from the seminal vesicle, which is located in
the pelvis. The process that results in the discharge of semen from the urethral
orifice is called ejaculation. The total volume of semen for each ejaculation of a
human male averages between 2 and 5 ml. Each ejaculation contains normally
200 to 300 million sperm. The pH of semen is slightly alkaline, ranging between
pH 7.2 and 7.4.
COMPOSITION OF SEMEN
Several components including sperm cells, enzymes, sugars, minerals, organic
chemicals and vitamins composes semen. Four glands contribute their secretions
to the seminal fluid that is testes, Seminal Vesicle, Prostate and Bulbourethral
gland.
SEMEN AS EVIDENCE
Garments sent for forensic examination are usually dirty having variety of stains,
in natural light some stains are reddish colored, while others are brown, yellow or
faint grey in color. These are often mixed with stains of blood vaginal discharge,
urine and semen, so as to restrict the investigation to seminal stains only,
preliminary examination is done under filtered UV light.

URINE
Urine is the byproduct of the cellular metabolism in humans. Urine is yellow-
straw colored fluid produced by the process of urination. It is excreted out from
the body by an opening called urethra. It follows a pathway from kidney to
urinary bladder through ureters. On an average urine production is around 1.4
Liters per day by per person. It depends from person to person on the various
factors like weight, health, state of hydration and environmental factors.
CONSTITUENTS OF URINE
Urine is an aqueous solution of greater than 95% water, with a minimum of these
remaining constituents, in order of decreasing concentration:
Urea, chloride, sodium potassium, creatinine and other dissolved ions, inorganic
and organic compounds (proteins, hormones, metabolites).
URINE AS EVIDENCE
It can be found in the cases of Strangulation, violent cases, poisoning cases, sexual
assault etc. It can be used to analyses the presence of drugs, proteins, alcohol and
poisons.
SALIVA
Saliva is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the
mouth. In humans, saliva is 99.5% water plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood
cells, epithelial cells (from which DNA can be extracted), enzymes (such as
amylase and lipase), antimicrobial agents such as secretory IgA, and lysozymes.
COMPOSITION OF SALIVA
Majorly water electrolytes: Sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride,
bicarbonate, phosphate. Mucus Antibacterial and combinations enzymes
Saliva as evidence
Saliva is an important evidence which can provide useful information about the
personal contact of victim and perpetrator. Saliva is found on clothes, cigarette
butt, bottles, cup, Handkerchief, etc. In cases of biting during struggle, assault,
kidnapping, Hanging, spitting or tobacco spitting at scene of crime, saliva provides
lot of evidentiary data.
Saliva plays an important role in crime investigation because DNA profiling or
grouping test can be performed by saliva due to presence of antigen in it. Blood
group can detect by saliva although saliva is contaminated by lipstick or blood.
 If saliva is present as dry stain then wet with the help of normal water and
make cotton swab of it and then preserve in tube or bag without
contaminating.
 If chewing gum, tobacco spit etc. are present at crime scene then preserve
in airtight bag as such.

METHODS-
Microscopic examination of blood-
Microscopic appearance found in the stain extract may reveal the presence of
erythrocytes and leukocytes.
Microscopic examination of Semen
Semen can be conclusively identified by the presence of spermatozoa in the stain.
When stain is subjected to a microscopic examination, spermatozoa can be
identified as having been derived from semen
Visual Examination of Urine
A suspected urine stain may fluoresce pale yellow or pale blue when viewed
under long and short wave UV light. Safety eyeglasses, which absorb ultraviolet
radiation, must be worn when viewing material for fluorescence.
Microscopic examination of Urine – White blood cells in very less quantity.
Bacteria, yeast cells, parasites absent.

Chemical test for saliva Starch- Iodine Test

Reagent Preparation:
1.0.5% soluble starch solution (50 mg soluble starch / 10 ml H2O).
2 .Lugol’s iodine solution.
Procedure
1. We place 3 tubes in a rack and add the following:
 In the first tube, place a 5 mm x 5 mm piece of sample to be tested.
 In the second tube, place a similar sized unstained control piece.
 In the third tube, place a 5 mm x 5 mm piece of a known saliva stain.
2. Add 3 drops of soluble starch solution to each tube.
3. Mix, cork and incubate the tubes for 1 hour at 37⁰C.
4. Add 2 drops of Lugol’s iodine and note the color formed.
5. A dark blue starch-iodine complex should be observed in the second and
fourth tubes. The absence of the dark blue color indicates that the starch has
been hydrolyzed and is no longer available for complexing.
Result- Biological fluid present in the sample.
Precautions-
1. Wear lab coat while performing the examination.
2. Handle glassware with care.
3. Be caution while using the reagent.