Fingerprinting is a valuable police tool for tracking down suspects, but it’s not perfect. However, we can reduce the risk of any mistaken identity if we work within the limits of fingerprinting.
From the man who gave away his genome under open consent, to the 'Mathematikado', this episode of the podcast features highlights from the British Science Festival in Brighton.
Genetic evidence has become a critical aspect of modern criminal investigations. What are the methods and approaches used in present-day DNA forensics?
Dogs can reliably sniff out human blood, even after two years of environmental degradation.
Jason Korbol/shutterstock
Forensics has a way to go before it’s a mature, academic science. Attorney General Jeff Sessions just terminated an independent commission charged with helping it get there.
Is this worth the tape it’s wrapped with?
Bill Selak
Is forensic science an oxymoron? A new White House report suggests there are major issues with many of the forensic disciplines used to convict defendants of crimes in the U.S.
Pollen is all around us, is extremely durable and can provide clues about where someone’s been. A new genetic technique will make it easier to use pollen evidence in criminal investigations.
Paul Stopforth (b. 1946) ‘Elegy’ (1980). Graphite and wax on paper on board: 149 x 240 cm.
Courtesy Durban Art Gallery
Works like “Elegy” are ciphers for what it means to be human and vulnerable within a social and political regime in which not all bodies are considered equal
Forensic scientists should be encouraged to shed more light on a pattern of behaviour when investigating incidence.
Flickr/WorldSkills UK
Forensic scientists should be encouraged to help detect patterns of behaviour in the incidents they investigate. This could lead to changes in the way some things are done and potentially save lives.
Latent fingermarks dusted with micronised Egyptian blue on a $20 note, viewed in the Near Infrared.
Simon Lewis
The ancient Egyptians knew a thing or two about how to produce a vibrant blue pigment for their tombs and coffins. Now it’s being used to help find fingerprints.
In the middle of a rose garden, on a leafy road in northwest London, nestles the Freud Museum – though the petals, in October, are tumbling. The house, at 20 Maresfield Gardens, is the proud bearer of…
Bodies thought to belong to members of Russia’s murdered royal family are to be re-examined for new evidence but forensics has its potential and limitations.