Dec 07 2018

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!

Feather Forensics Breakthrough to Beat Bird Crime in Scotland (The National – 11/29/2018)

A scientific discovery could yield a new weapon against wildlife crime as fingerprints can be recovered from bird feathers left exposed for the first time.

Rapid DNA Analysis Steps In to Identify Remains of Wildfire Victims (The Scientist – 11/30/2018)

Investigators have the victims’ samples in hand, but face a range of obstacles before they can finally ID them.

This DNA Technology is Helping Police Solve Cold Cases (CNN – 12/1/2018)

The technology relies on the fact that DNA has a specific set of instructions for a person’s physical characteristics. It only needs a small sample to be able to pull from tens of thousands of genetic options and create an informed prediction of what someone could look like.

Interview with Forensic Taphonomist Professor Shari Forbes (Locard’s Lab – 12/3/2018)

The SSRT represents the first human taphonomy facility in Canada and is the only place in this distinct climate where we can study the process of human decomposition through body donation. My role is to lead and conduct research at this facility, specifically in the field of forensic thanatology and decomposition chemistry.

Giving Life to a Woman Found in a 4,250-Year-Old Grave in Caithness (BBC News – 12/3/2018)

Researchers have gained new insights into the life of a woman who died more than 4,250 years ago.
Known as “Ava”, her bones were found in a grave cut into solid bedrock at Achavanich in Caithness in 1987.

DNA and Fingerprints Data Shared with Other Countries for First Time (Independent – 12/3/2018)

Gardaí will be able to share forensic evidence such as DNA profiles and fingerprints with authorities in other countries for the first time today.
Laws passed in 2015 are finally coming in to effect, meaning offenders arrested here could end up being linked to crimes outside of Ireland.

Lonesome George: Scientists are Using DNA from Last Member of Now-Extinct Giant Tortoise Species to Crack Secrets of Long Life (Independent – 12/3/2018)

Lonesome George, the giant Galapagos tortoise who became a symbol for the conservation movement as the last member of his species is, in death, helping scientists crack the secrets of long life.
DNA from the last of the now extinct Pinta Island tortoises and the related Aldabra giant tortoise which is native to the Indian Ocean has been studied by researchers from Yale University.

Texas DNA Mixture Review Yields Recalculations of Cases (Forensic Magazine – 12/4/2018)

The Texas Forensic Science Commission started a review three years ago of the Lone Star State’s criminal cases involving DNA mixtures. Technology—and the statistical calculation methods of Combined Probability of Inclusion and Combined Probability of Exclusion (CPI and CPE, respectively)—were inaccurately estimating the likelihoods of a suspect’s DNA being in mixtures, they said at the time.
As many as 24,000 cases over about 15 years could be impacted in a variety of ways by recalculation with automated probabilistic genotyping software to sort out the mixtures, the TFSC said three years ago.

DNA Forensics Can End Ivory Trafficking. Will Countries Play Along? (JSTOR – 12/4/2018)

As poaching has picked up, government officials, law enforcement agencies, and conservationists have found themselves engaged in an arms race against criminal wildlife traffickers. Science can help them get an upper hand.

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