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! Coroner: Remains Found 40 Years Ago in Newton County are a […]
Previewing the Posters of our ISHI Student Ambassadors: Cassandra Skrant
Monozygotic twins are difficult to differentiate in a forensic laboratory because they come from the same zygote. This causes the standard STR typing method used within forensic laboratories to be unable to distinguish monozygotic twins. Cassandra’s research assessed the usefulness of pyrosequencing CpG sites to determine if DNA methylation can be used to discriminate monozygotic […]
Locating and Identifying Victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre: A Forensic Anthropological Perspective
On October 19, 2020, in a corner of what was once the African American section of the Potter’s Field in Tulsa’s Oaklawn Cemetery, a backhoe begins scraping away layer after layer of red Oklahoma earth. Workers in high-visibility vests and orange hard hats prepare to join the excavation. Phoebe Stubblefield, Interim Director of the C.A. […]
Previewing the Posters of our ISHI Student Ambassadors: Julia Wang
Conventional methods for testing sexual assault evidence are based on preferential lysis and rely on the presence spermatozoa to identify perpetrators. Low concentrations of male DNA and mixtures of perpetrator and victim DNA complicate profile interpretation. Consequently, evidence that screens negative for presence of semen, spermatozoa, or male DNA is often considered to have minimal […]
May 2023 Issue of The ISHI Report Now Live
Greetings from Madison and welcome to the May edition of the ISHI Report. This issue is filled with contributions from many familiar names in the forensic science community. Read on to learn more about several topics that will be explored in depth during the workshops at ISHI. Jo-Anne Bright from the New Zealand […]
The New Superior: Leadership in a Forensic Laboratory
Now retired from his forensic science career, John M. Collins works in private practice as an executive leadership coach specializing in people, teams, and organizations in positions of public trust – individuals and teams whose decisions have a direct impact on the quality and duration of people’s lives. In these environments, there is a high […]
Bacterial Transfer Between Monogamous Couples to Detect Sexual Contact
Recently, the human microbiome has been studied for applications in human identification and its potential transfer to various surfaces. However, there has been little research on the genital microbiome, which physiologically differs from other body sites, and has great potential value in cases of sexual assault. As per Locard’s Principle of Exchange, the […]
Recapping ISHI 33 with our Student Ambassadors
We recognize that many students in forensic science have limited opportunities to attend conferences, including ISHI, and may not know what to expect as they hit the “Register Now” button. But, we also recognize that these students represent the next generation of Lab Directors, Tech Leaders, professors, and R&D scientists and they have a lot […]
The Crisis of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women
Today’s blog is written by guest blogger Jordan Nutting, Promega. Reposted from The ISHI Report with permission. On May 5 of this year, thousands of people across the country took part in marches, forums, community gatherings, and vigils, mourning and bearing witness to a relentless tragedy. Most people at these events wore red, and […]