Microbes are present at every crime scene and have been used as physical evidence for over a century. Advances in DNA sequencing and computational approaches have led to recent breakthroughs in the use of microbiome approaches for forensic science, particularly in the areas of estimating postmortem intervals (PMIs), locating clandestine graves, and obtaining soil and skin trace evidence. Low-cost, high-throughput technologies allow us to accumulate molecular data quickly and to apply sophisticated machine-learning algorithms, building generalizable predictive models that will be useful in the criminal justice system. In particular, integrating microbiome and metabolomic data has excellent potential to advance microbial forensics.

微生物存在于每个犯罪现场，并且已经被用作物理证据超过一个世纪。DNA测序和计算方法的进步导致微生物组方法在法医学领域的应用取得了新的突破，特别是在估计死后时间间隔（PMI），发现秘密坟墓以及获得土壤和皮肤痕迹证据方面。低成本，高通量的技术使我们能够快速积累分子数据，并应用复杂的机器学习算法，从而建立可用于刑事司法系统的通用化预测模型。特别是，整合微生物组和代谢组学数据具有推动微生物法医学研究的巨大潜力。