The Missing Piece Episode 3: Rodney Johnson (Lake Stickney John Doe)

   The search for answers began in 1994 when a fisherman discovered a body in the lake. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s office determined the deceased to be between 25 and 35 years old and the victim of a violent homicide. Multiple varied facial reconstructions were made for the victim over the years, in […]

Under the Microscope – Ed Green

Rootless hair is widely regarded as a poor source for DNA-based forensics. However, rootless hair shafts are known to contain preserved DNA that can be recovered and analyzed even after thousands of years. Ed Green and his partners have developed technology for exploiting the DNA found in rootless hair for forensic applications. In his presentation at […]

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!         California Crime Lab Gets DNA Grant for New Equipment, Personnel (Forensic […]

ISHI 32 Agenda Now Available

The General Sessions agenda for the 32nd International Symposium on Human Identification has been released and can be downloaded in a pdf form. Read on to learn more about the presentations offered.     As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, we will open the conference with a […]

The State of DNA Forensics in Latin America

In this interview, Ronaldo Carneiro de Silva Junior, Custodian of the National DNA Database of Brazil, discusses challenges the Latin American region faces around forensic DNA, projects they are currently working on, and how cooperation throughout the region has led to successes.        Transcript: Laura: Hello, and welcome to the annual video […]

DNA as an Eyewitness: Phenotyping Applications for Forensic DNA

Like many teenage girls in the 1990s, Dr. Susan Walsh, Associate Professor at IUPUI, was fascinated by Agent Dana Scully’s work as a forensic pathologist on the television series, The X-Files. Recognizing that there was much to be gained in the field of forensics from DNA phenotyping, she wanted to research methodologies that would enable […]

Embracing the Challenges of Leadership in Biology

Today’s blog is written by guest blogger, John M. Collins, Executive Leadership Coach. Reposted from The ISHI Report with permission.     Like you, I’m excited about ISHI 2021 while still sad about the impact that COVID-19 had on ISHI 2020 and so many other forensic science conferences. These conferences are critically important to the […]

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!         Rutgers-Camden Spearheads Launch of New Jersey Innocence Project (Forensic – 6/25/2021) […]

Work Interrupted: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted Life in the Lab

We caught up with workshop chairs Michael Coble and Jessica Charak Lehrner to gain their perspective on weathering the pandemic. Read on to see how both made it through the last year eager to take on 2021.       What is your current job title? How long have you worked there and in the […]