Forensic Laboratories process and report on evidence for the Courts. But how does that evidence arrive from the crime scene to the Laboratory uncompromised? It takes a great deal of skill and care whi...
Drugs create a major portion of the work for a Forensic Chemist. Both legal and illicit drugs cause problems that require the attention of Law Enforcement agencies. Until recently detecting these in a...
When we think of Forensic Science we imagine the people from the TV in white paper suits and masks, dusting the scene for finger marks. Even a brief history of Forensic Science shows this was not alwa...
In another persona, I write science fiction as well as these science fact pieces. Even fiction requires meticulous research. Once, I looked at explosions and how to make bombs. For a month afterward, ...
Forensic Analysis is a vital part of Fire Investigation. By its very nature, fire destroys the evidence of how it started. And not only that, but the methods of putting out a fire often increase the d...
Locard’s Principle states that “Every contact leaves a trace.” (McDermid, 2014). We all understand this means that a criminal will leave traces of their presence at a crime scene, but it also means th...
Someone forged a will. A staple of detective fiction, but how can anyone tell? We use Forensic Document Analysis to question the difference between authentic and non-authentic documents. What is class...
I walked through Glasgow City Center on a Monday morning, heading to class, when I spotted fragments of glass all over the pavement. Broken glass is nothing new in Glasgow after a weekend. Luckily, Fo...
There’s gore all over the room, the TV police officer comes in and apparently reads the whole murder from the blood splatters. Isn’t it all just a random mess all over the walls? Or is there really in...
Taking casts of footwear marks to be used as evidence The police find a footprint in the soil of the flowerbed beneath the window. In crime novels it turns out to be that of the gardener and not rela...
The problem When linking stains to crime scenes the natural thought is of blood and gore all over the walls. But much of the evidence is latent, or not easily visible to the naked eye. With the modern...
Finger prints are the clear images created under controlled conditions, such as when the police take fingerprints at the police station. Fingermarks are the smeary, partial prints that are found at th...