The Future is Now for MPS mtDNA Analysis

Are you wondering what role MPS plays in forensic mtDNA analysis? Would you like to learn what systems are currently available for forensic MPS mtDNA analysis? Does the thought of validating and implementing MPS in your lab leave you anxious? In their workshop at ISHI 29, Mitchell Holland of Penn State University and Michael Brandhagen […]
Top 10 Reasons to Visit Phoenix

Did you know that each month, citizens of Phoenix host a massive street festival of art, music, and food trucks called ‘First Fridays’? Or that you the desert landscape is filled with floral blooms in the spring months? If you’ve never been to Phoenix, coming to ISHI is the perfect time to challenge any pre-conceived […]
This Week in Forensic Science

No one has hours to scour the papers to keep up with the latest news, so we’ve curated the top news stories in the field of Forensic Science for this week. Here’s what you need to know to get out the door! Soil Forensics Study: 100 Percent Accuracy With One-Two Method (Forensic Magazine – 5/25/2018) […]
Preparing as an Expert Witness: Then and Now

Robin Cotton has testified as an expert witness in 35 states. Here, she describes what testifying was like in the early days of DNA, shares tips for how to simplify complicated terms for the jury, and explains why it’s important to speak to the science, no matter who is asking the question. […]
When School is just a Memory: Science after Graduation

Happy graduation! Whether you graduated last week or twenty years ago, the experience is roughly the same. As soon as you arrive on the far side of the stage, empty diploma folder under your arm, hand still sticky from the Dean’s sweaty handshake, the reality of post-academic life sets in. Perhaps grad school is on […]
This Week in Forensic Science

No one has hours to scour the papers to keep up with the latest news, so we’ve curated the top news stories in the field of Forensic Science for this week. Here’s what you need to know to get out the door! Investigators use DNA, Genealogy Database to ID Suspect in 1987 Double Homicide […]
Preparing as an Expert Witness for DNA Testimony in Today’s Courtroom

Are you wondering how to explain probabilistic genotyping and likelihood ratios to a jury? Would you like to learn how to respond to forensic implications from media publications or landmark court decisions? Does the thought of learning and then describing new forensic technologies in a courtroom leave you anxious? In her workshop at ISHI 29, […]
Catalyzing Solutions with Synthetic Biology

The keynote speaker for this year’s International Symposium on Human Identification (ISHI), Andrew Hessel, describes himself as a catalyst for big projects and ideas (1). In biology, catalysts are enzymes that alter the microenvironment and lower the energy of activation so that a chemical reaction that would proceed anyway happens at a much faster rate—making a reaction […]
This Week in Forensic Science

No one has hours to scour the papers to keep up with the latest news, so we’ve curated the top news stories in the field of Forensic Science for this week. Here’s what you need to know to get out the door! Scientists to Grow ‘Mini-Brains’ Using Neanderthal DNA (The Guardian – 5/11/2018) Geneticists hope […]