Forensic Palynology

One of the least-known forensic sciences is the study of something quite microscopic, tiny grains of pollen, a science known as palynology.  This site, from Crime and Clues includes a history of the palynology including a case from Sweden dating back to 1959 and another from Austria in 1969, in which the conviction of the criminal was based primarily on the evidence recovered from a pollen sample associated with the crime. A search of the suspect's room revealed a pair of boots with mud still attached to the soles. These were taken as evidence and given to Wilhelm Klaus, a geologist with the Austrian Geological Survey, for analysis. After examining the mud, Dr. Klaus found it contained modern spruce, willow, and alder pollen, and was able to determine that only one location, a small area 20 kilometers north of Vienna along the Danube Valley, had soils that contained the precise mixture of pollen found in the boots' mud. When confronted with the identity of this location, the shocked defendant confessed his crime.