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Articles on Forensic evidence

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Jurors tend to rely heavily on forensic testimony, even when they don’t understand it. andresr/E+ via Getty Images

Juries that don’t understand forensic science can send innocent people to prison − a short training video could help

Educating mock jurors about what kinds of statements are appropriate − or not − led to more critical assessments of forensic testimony and improved the quality of their decisions.
Research underway at the University of Technology, Sydney’s AFTER facility is yielding some surprising new findings about how bodies decompose in the Australian bush. Supplied by UTS

‘This is going to affect how we determine time since death’: how studying body donors in the bush is changing forensic science

‘This is going to affect how we determine time since death’: how studying body donors in the bush is changing forensic science The Conversation, CC BY77.2 MB (download)
On the outskirts of Sydney, in a secret bushland location, lies what's officially known as the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research. In books or movies, it'd be called a body farm.
The remains of an Ixil man emerge from the ground, one of the countless victims of the civil war in Guatemala. Tristan Brand/FAFG Fundacion de Antropologia Forense de Guatemala

‘It is the job of the living to save the dead from drowning’

The Ixil people of Guatemala dream of the places where their dead, massacred during the country’s armed conflict might be located.
There’s a margin of error in relying on fingerprinting to catch criminals. from www.shutterstock.com

Fingerprinting to solve crimes: not as robust as you think

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.
When lawyers submit forensic evidence in court, is there legit science to back it up? AP Photo/Pat Sullivan

Now who will push ahead on validating forensic science disciplines?

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.

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