Every day forensic scientists around the world do their best to further the cause of justice; processing evidence, narrowing the suspect list, and identifying victims. With all the the technology available to us it’s easy to forget that despite our best efforts forensic science is actually part science, part art, and the results of lab tests are often open to interpretation or human error. From bite marks to DNA phenotyping things can sometimes go wrong – terribly, horribly wrong. Here are the most infamous forensic science screw-ups, and what happened as a result. Annie Dookhan Annie Dookhan ..read more

There are many areas of forensics which are disturbing – grisly even. None more so than being faced with identifying the body of a child. As of 2015, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had logged 460,699 records of missing children and had assisted with over 700 cases in which they attempted to help identify unknown remains. Yet despite their best efforts, they were only able to identify around 100 of the victims (NCMEC, 2015). Now, thanks to a partnership with the DNA Phenotyping corporation Parabon Nanolabs, they hope to bring closure to the families of the missing and so ..read more

  DNA has long been held as the gold standard of evidence, and it has led to countless convictions as well as many notable exonerations. As our technology continues to improve, so too does our ability to use DNA to solve cases. Familial DNA searches are the next frontier in evidence, and while a precise DNA match is still necessary for a conviction, family DNA matches allow for faster identification of suspects and are, in effect, building a better mousetrap. How Familial DNA Matching Works Current scientific evidence points to each of us having about 20,000 genes which make us who we ar ..read more

The dirt on your cell phone could reveal more about you than you think. Every time you touch your phone you leave behind a unique mix of the chemicals present on your body and in your environment. Are you a smoker? Traces of nicotine get smeared across the glass. Your brand of laundry detergent, makeup and even the medications you take can all be revealed by testing the surface of your phone. The results add up to a chemical profile which can tell scientists (and investigators) a lot about who you are and where you’ve been. The Masterminds Behind Chemical Profiling Chemical profiling is the b ..read more

Your cell phone likely contains more personal data than your wallet. It is a repository of every number you have ever called, every website you’ve used it to visit, every text you’ve ever sent, your location at any given time (as well as where you’ve gone in the past) and a host of other information. Cell phones can provide a treasure trove of data for those working in forensics and the data frequently helps solve cases and win convictions. Let’s take a look at how cell phone data is extracted, as well as some famous cases that were solved thanks to cell phones (and one that wasn’t). It Start ..read more

Forensic Science is a broad category, with salaries ranging from around $50,000 per year to over $200,000 per year depending on your level of education and your employer. Here are the top five highest-paying forensic science jobs as well as the amount of education required to get them. #5: Forensic Accounting (also known as Forensic Auditing and Investigative Auditing) One of the fastest growing and most popular jobs for those with forensic degrees is forensic accounting. Forensic Accountants have two primary specialized functions: they do investigative accounting and provide support during l ..read more

What if DNA found at a crime scene could reveal the face of a killer? We’re very nearly there, and getting closer ever day thanks to the technology behind DNA Phenotyping. What is DNA Phenotyping? Our DNA contains our unique genetic code; it’s the blueprint our bodies are built from. This includes genetic instructions for our hair color, eye color, face shape and everything else. DNA phenotyping is the process of predicting a person’s physical appearance based on their genetic code. It’s not an exact science – and it will likely never reveal a picture-perfect image – but DNA Phenotyping gets ..read more

One of forensic science’s dirty little secrets is that it isn’t always accurate; results are subject to interpretation and error. In some cases, there are no set standards for technicians or expert witnesses to follow when evaluating evidence. The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has released their 2016 report: Forensic Science in Criminal Courts: Ensuring Scientific Validity of Feature-Comparison Methods and they have called multiple forensic techniques like DNA, fingerprints, bitemarks, and even ballistics into question. Multiple-Source DNA Testing DNA test ..read more

Splitting Hairs to Solve Cases Have you ever wondered what your hair says about you? Straight, curly, dyed, puffy, dry or oily? New research suggests your hair can reveal a lot more about you than the style you present to the world. A single hair left at a crime scene may actually be able to identify you. Biochemist Glendon Parker and his team from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have discovered that human hair contains unique protein markers which can be examined up to 250 years later and still provide valid evidence. Lawrence’s team evaluated six historic hair samples along with 76 c ..read more

Did you ever play with Day-Glo paint as a kid? Do you remember smooshing your finger prints all over a paper plate to watch them glow? Researchers have just brought the next best thing into your forensic tool-kit and it may soon be helping to solve crimes all over the world. Sadly, the founder of the new technology wasn’t inspired by anything as happy as childhood memories – he was the victim of a break-in. As he watched police fingerprint the scene he began to wonder if there was a better way to lift prints, especially off of surfaces like glass and metal. The luminescent  little wonder ..read more