New method may accurately identify body fluids at crime scenes

Identifying different types of body fluids can help forensic experts reconstruct a crime scene, but it's difficult to do so. In a study published in Electrophoresis, researchers developed a method using two different types of RNA—called microRNA (miRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA)—to determine five common body fluids.

Compared with previously reported single mRNA or miRNA assays, the combination of several mRNAs and miRNAs showed significant advantages for labeling human body fluids.

"Our findings indicate that this combined mRNA and miRNA system may provide a scientific reference for RNA-based body fluid identifications," the authors wrote.