Fingernail care: Do’s

1. Keep fingernails dry and clean. This prevents bacteria from growing under your fingernails.
2. Practice good nail hygiene. Use a sharp manicure scissors or clippers.
3. Use moisturizer.
4. Apply a protective layer.
5. Ask your doctor about biotin.

To take samples of the abnormal nail, and any debris between the nail and nail bed: Wipe off any treatment creams, lotions, or powders with 70% alcohol before sampling. If infection of the nail is suspected: Use (chiropody) scissors or nail clippers to sample the diseased part of nail.

DNA test using teeth or fingernails Fingernails are a good source of DNA and can be used if other specimen types (like cheek swabs or hair follicles) are not available.

Various methods are used to collect fingernail evidence, which can include clipping the nail, swabbing beneath the nail using a small, moistened swab, or scraping beneath the nail, generally using a wooden applicator and collecting the debris.

Taking nail clippings from the deceased – to get DNA, skin cells, and fibers from nail clippings. Placing a plastic bag over the hands of the deceased before transporting the person to the morgue – to keep evidence of blood, skin cells, fibers, and DNA from falling off or contaminating the corpse.

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Consequently, important evidence often can be obtained by careful examination of fingernail scrapings. Minute particles of skin, blood, hair, and cosmetics, which often can be found on a suspect and sometimes identified as having come from the victim’s clothing, may also be found under the fingernails.

Physical evidence refers to any item that comes from a nonliving origin, while biological evidence always originates from a living being. The most important kinds of physical evidence are fingerprints, tire marks, footprints, fibers , paint, and building materials . Biological evidence includes bloodstains and DNA .

The three fingerprint class types are arches, loops, and whorls. Arches are the least common type of fingerprint, occurring only about 5% of the time.

Biological evidence, on the other hand, includes organic things like blood, saliva, urine, semen, hair, and botanical materials, such as wood, plants, pollens and yes, Clarice, moth cocoons.

Biological evidence includes:

• Blood and blood stains.
• Semen and seminal stains.
• Saliva.
• Urine.
• Tissues and cells.
• Bones and organs.
• Hair.
• Teeth.

Biological evidence refers to samples of biological material—such as hair, tissue, bones, teeth, blood, semen, or other bodily fluids—or to evidence items containing biological material (DNA Initiative 2012).

Additionally, biological material can be a source of DNA which can allow an individual to be linked to a scene and a specific biological sample. DNA can be obtained from a variety of sources including blood, skin cells, semen, hair, saliva and tissue. Certain types of DNA evidence are more probative than others.

May consist of blood, skin, hair, semen, saliva, and urine. Swabs (cotton tip applicators) collected for biological evidence may include buccal, oral, skin, fingernail, bitemarks, perineal, perianal, vaginal, cervical os, penile, scrotum, rectal. Hair collected is placed in an envelope.

Recommended Methods for Collection of Biological Evidence One way this can be done is by immobilizing the evidence item in a cardboard container. If evidence stains are found on objects that can be cut (e.g. a rug), the evidence stain can be removed by cutting it out with a pair of clean scissors.

Neglect of proper drying techniques – Biological evidence should be stored in a dry place and/or dry condition; however, many times the drying process is not performed with caution. Large cloth-like material that contains evidence should be spread out to allow for consistent drying.

Biological evidence should not be packaged in plastic or airtight containers, because accumulation of residual moisture could contribute to the growth of DNA destroying bacteria and fungi. Articles containing biological evidence should be packaged separately in a paper bag or or in a well-ventilated box.

Preservation: Keep dry. Wrapping & Packing: Package in box, envelope or a paper bag. Never package in plastic.

Contents

• Physical containment and protection.
• Contamination.
• Dangerous evidence.
• Identification.
• Security.

Use paper bags, envelopes, boxes and similar materials for all biological evidence. Avoid plastic packaging as an inner or outer package. Avoid the use of pill tins due to possible rust. Ensure that all swabs and evidence are dry.

Cases involving homicide, assault, and sexual assault are the most commonly encountered in the biological evidence examination units of forensic science laboratories. The identification and species-determination aspects of a forensic examination can sometimes be more important to a case than DNA typing.

Evidence that is wet or that may contain body fluids (blood, semen, etc.) must be air-dried completely. Such items should be packaged in paper bags/boxes. Known samples can be collected by rubbing sterile swabs against the cheek, inside the mouth.

The biological material used to determine a DNA profile include blood, semen, saliva, urine, feces, hair, teeth, bone, tissue and cells.

Among those forms of material evidence of interest to forensic scientists working in the field of genetics are blood, semen, hair, saliva, and skin, all of which contain DNA that can be analyzed.

Where Is DNA Contained in the Human Body? DNA is contained in blood, semen, skin cells, tissue, organs, muscle, brain cells, bone, teeth, hair, saliva, mucus, perspiration, fingernails, urine, feces, etc.

Blood

To take a secret DNA paternity test you will need to supply a sample from each person, usually a mouth swab for the father, and a discreet sample for the child, although any number of discreet samples, from anyone is acceptable. Used Band aids, Tampons, Sanitary napkin, bloody tissues, Gauze.

Blood of a healthy individual usually contains 4–7 x 106 leucocytes per milliliter blood. This means that the DNA content can vary between 30 and 40 µg/ml blood depending on the donor.

Urine does contain small amounts of DNA, but not nearly as much as blood or saliva. DNA also deteriorates more quickly in urine, making it difficult to extract and produce reliable test results.