forensic science library

 

Forensics is the examination, through physical evidence, of a criminal event or incident. Learn about the various types of forensic disciplines and how they are used to bring the guilty to justice.

Featured Article:  How Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Works

Was it Miss Scarlett in the conservatory with a wrench? A bloodstain pattern analyst might be able to tell you. The blood from a crime scene has a story to tell. See more »

Can you explain the diameter measurements used in bullets, wire and nails?

Can you explain the diameter measurements used in bullets, wire and nails?

Bullets, wires and nails are all measured with unusual measurement systems and units -- and they all show just how interesting measurement systems can be!

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Could someone really find a mummy in his backyard?

Could someone really find a mummy in his backyard?

I was watching a movie the other night and the main character found a mummy in his backyard. Does this really happen? Could someone find a mummy in his backyard?

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How Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Works

How Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Works

Was it Miss Scarlett in the conservatory with a wrench? A bloodstain pattern analyst might be able to tell you. The blood from a crime scene has a story to tell.

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How Body Farms Work

How Body Farms Work

Imagine walking through a field and stumbling upon scads of corpses, all in various states of decomposition. It's not the setting for your next nightmare, but rather a very real discipline of forensic anthropology.

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How Crime Scene Investigation Works

How Crime Scene Investigation Works

Learn what really goes on when a CSI "processes a crime scene" and get a real-world view of crime scene investigation from a primary scene responder with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

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How Crime Scene Photography Works

How Crime Scene Photography Works

In detective movies or TV shows like "CSI," photographers swarm in and take countless pictures of a crime scene. But how does crime scene photography really go down?

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How Crime-scene Clean-up Works

How Crime-scene Clean-up Works

Crime-scene clean-up is a niche market within the cleaning industry and those who do it get paid on average of $600 an hour. It's a hazardous job, but someone's got to do it.

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How DNA Profiling Works

How DNA Profiling Works

If you were thrown into prison for a crime you didn't commit, you'd probably welcome DNA profiling. Although the use of this technology has recently helped bring justice, there may be cause for concern.

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How do investigators determine if a wildfire was caused by arson?

How do investigators determine if a wildfire was caused by arson?

Investigators quickly determined that the wildfire that killed five firefighters and burned more than 40,000 acres in Esperanza, CA, was the result of arson.

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How does a lie detector (polygraph) work?

How does a lie detector (polygraph) work?

You may know a bit about polygraphs, but do you know which physical reactions it actually monitors? Get the scoop in this article.

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How Fingerprinting Works

How Fingerprinting Works

Detectives arrive at a crime scene and lift fingerprints from the murder weapon. They'll use these oily markings to catch their criminal. But how do they match the print to the killer?

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How Forensic Accounting Works

How Forensic Accounting Works

Will your favorite criminal drama feature investigators packing calculators instead of heat? Probably not. However, forensic accountants help investigate criminal and civil cases involving financial issues like fraud.

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How Forensic Dentistry Works

How Forensic Dentistry Works

If serial killer Ted Bundy hadn't been a biter, he might never have been caught. What can bite marks and teeth tell us about a person?

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How Forensic Lab Techniques Work

How Forensic Lab Techniques Work

With a little ingenuity and some very high-tech equipment, forensic scientists can help law enforcement catch even the wiliest perpetrator. What are their techniques?

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How Handwriting Analysis Works

How Handwriting Analysis Works

When there's a suspect in a crime and the evidence includes a handwritten note, investigators may call in handwriting experts to see if there's a match. Learn all about forensic handwriting analysis.

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How Impression Evidence Works

How Impression Evidence Works

Criminals always leave traces behind after a crime is committed. In fact, footprints, tire tracks and tool marks are often more prevalent than fingerprints at a crime scene. What can impression evidence tell an investigator?

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How Locard's Exchange Principle Works

How Locard's Exchange Principle Works

One of the most influential ideas in forensic science history is known as Locard's exchange principle. This simple, yet groundbreaking idea forever changed the way we fight crime. But who was Edmond Locard, anyway?

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How Mummies Work

How Mummies Work

Mummification -– the preservation of a dead body -- has been practiced for thousands of years. Mummies of Ancient Egypt and Peru are still being discovered today, and the practice extends well into the present. Learn how and why mummies are made.

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What do bugs have to do with forensic science?

What do bugs have to do with forensic science?

When a corpse is found, the presence of insects gets a lot of attention during the investigation. But which bugs show up for the flesh feast? And how much can these bugs reveal about death?

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