Developing Reliable Methods for Microbial Fingerprinting of Soil Evidence

NIJ Forensic Science R&D Symposium (Trace Microbiome session) · February 9, 2026

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Opening and session intro

AnnouncementPresentation

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Moderator (unnamed in transcript) opened the afternoon Trace Microbiome session of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Forensic Science R&D Symposium, noted the connection to a recent Impression, Pattern and Trace Evidence symposium in DC, and said the meeting will highlight NIJ-funded research applying microbial analysis to trace-evidence samples.

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At the NIJ Forensic Science R&D Symposium Trace Microbiome session, David Foran of Michigan State University presented recent NIJ-funded research on using soil bacterial profiles as forensic evidence, reporting that trace amounts (down to about 1 milligram) can yield usable profiles, that storage and blood contamination alter profiles, and that surface samples are generally most informative.

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Transcript

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