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Microbiology in the service of law and public safety.
Forensic scientists use tools from the natural sciences and engineering to analyze physical evidence. Such evidence might be at a crime scene, a bioterrorism event, at the site of an oil spill or chemical discharge, or when in pursuit of a foodborne infectious disease. Increasingly, microbes are serving as some of that physical evidence. The DNA of isolated microorganisms is being subjected to whole-genome sequencing, while the metagenomes of microbiomes found in the environment are now routinely sequenced and analyzed. Databases of microbial genomes are growing rapidly, and probing those databases with powerful bioinformatics tools and other analytical techniques enables comparative microbial genomics to be applied to forensic analysis.
The powerful genomics tools available today are being applied to forensic analysis of microorganisms in a diverse array of situations. Many of these methods and applications are presented in Environmental Microbial Forensics, edited by Gary Toranzos and Raúl Cano. This fascinating book includes detailed discussions on
Electronic only, 285 pages, full-color illustrations.