Integration of infrared spectroscopy and forensic entomology: a review of three research directions

Abstract

The advantages demonstrated by infrared spectroscopy (IR) in forensic science and entomology have aroused the interest of forensic entomologists and it has become a powerful analytical tool in the field of forensic entomology (FE) as it yields reliable results in insect identification, gut content analysis, distribution analyses, and developmental time estimations. In this paper, we summarize the current challenges and future perspectives of IR in three main research areas of FE, namely postmortem interval, carrion, and identification. With data from the past three decades (1998-2023), we report on the potential of IR to improve the efficiency of litigation cases and the scientific validity of FE laboratory research. Results show that although IR still has a long way to go and its accessibility needs to be improved, it possesses the potential to become a reliable research technique in FE.

Keywords:

• Infrared spectroscopy
• forensic entomology
• postmortem interval
• carrion
• identification

Author contributions

Formal analysis and investigation: Ruonan Zhang; Writing - original draft preparation: Ruonan Zhang; Writing - review and editing: Yu Wang; Funding acquisition: Yu Wang; Supervision: Yu Wang. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflicts of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest; including involvement, financial or otherwise, that might potentially bias the subject of this article.

Data availability statements

The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 82002007, 32070508 and 32270545), Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education.