Forensic Science for Beginners

For many people, forensics is a fascinating but confusing field that is full of mystery and intrigue. Whether it's learning more about how criminal evidence is collected and stored or finding out how the legal system uses this information, everyone should explore the world of forensics. A skilled team of expert authors write all of our articles, which we hope will be informative and interesting to our huge and diverse readership.

Connecting DNA to Your Surname

You probably already know that your DNA is unique, but did you know that it could eventually reveal your surname? For those who are familiar with the concept of genetic fingerprinting, you might be interested to know that the laboratory responsible for developing this technique now thinks that the technique …

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Small DNA Samples for Criminal Forensics

Since discovering DNA, the technology and ability to analyse it has changed significantly. Many of the older challenges, such as efficiency and timeliness, have been virtually swept aside as better DNA analysis techniques have been developed over the years. Smaller Sample Sizes From Skin Cells Still, some sample sizes are …

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Processing Rape Evidence

Rape is a horrific experience for a person to experience but we are fortunate today in that forensic science has many tools at its disposal to process rape evidence. In turn, accurate and timely processing can help to identify a suspect and lead to a criminal conviction in court. New …

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New Ways to Detect Lies With Forensics

One of the most challenging tasks for a forensic expert is determining if a person is telling the truth. Over the years, all sorts of testing methods have been introduced – some eventually disregarded while others have become mainstays in Forensic Science. New Techniques In the past several years, however, …

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X-ray Forensics for Guns

In a local story from 2008, a man in the UK received a jail sentence for taking replica guns and modifying them to functional firearms that ended up being used in 50 shootings. Eight of these shootings were ones that left a victim dead. The story has become an important …

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Detecting Evidence After Bleaching

Most people know that forensics involves many different kinds of evidence, whether that is blood evidence or a weapon. However, the evidence can become degraded from a number of things such as time, heat or the use of bleach. Unfortunately, even advanced Forensic Techniques can be challenged by the use …

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Forensics in the Water

Forensics plays a role in the collection and investigation of many different kinds of evidence – including water. When a corpse is identified in fresh water, we can usually find out the time of death. If a person died recently, organ temperatures can be guides to the time of death. …

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Blood and Sperm – How are they Preserved?

Your question is an important one! For evidence to be useful in the legal system, it must first be properly collected and preserved. If this is done correctly, then ideally, a reliable link can be made between a suspected perpetrator and a crime. Blood is a common type of evidence …

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Are all Forensic Photographers SOCOs?

While most forensic photographers will have worked in a scene of crime officer (SOCO) role, or be working in this role as part of their forensic photography duties, there is alternate scope for someone who feels a passion for photography and forensic science but doesn’t want to work as a …

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How Can a Bullet be Identified from a Particular Gun?

While a firearm is not usually left at the scene of a crime, a bullet quite often is found at the crime scene. Fortunately, forensics experts do have a number of techniques and tools at their disposal to identify a bullet from a specific firearm. A bullet would carefully be …

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