forensic science
Evidence-based investigation
Forensic science is the application of scientific methods to legal matters, especially criminal investigations.
It encompasses disciplines like DNA analysis, ballistics, toxicology, and fingerprint identification.
Evidence analyzed by forensic scientists often proves decisive in court: The forensic science pointed to a single suspect.
Crime dramas have made the field widely familiar, though real forensic work moves slower than television suggests.
Examining hereditary material
- chromatographyTechnique separating mixtures by differential migration
- spectroscopyStudy of light-matter interaction
- mass spectrometryMeasures ionic weight ratios
- toxicologyScience of poisons
microscopy · serology · fingerprint analysis · genetic sequencing · biochemistry · calibration · validation · carbon dating
Location of an offense
- autopsyMedical examination after death
- evidence collectionSecuring items for prosecution
- reconstructionRebuilding after destruction
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
medical examiner · coroner · cause of death · manner of death · time of death · chain of custody · cold case · identification
Hereditary code molecule
- fingerprintsRidge patterns identifying individuals
- bloodstainsDried hemoglobin discolorations
- trace evidenceSmall forensic samples
- hairFibrous scalp covering
fibers · gunshot residue · toolmarks · shoeprints · tire tracks · digital evidence · skeletal remains · toxins
Specialist's courtroom statement
- courtroomJudicial proceedings chamber
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- defenseProtection against harm
- admissibilityQuality of being permitted
chain of custody · cross-examination · wrongful conviction · exoneration · litigation · reasonable doubt · case law · scientific validity
Instrument for viewing minute objects
- centrifugeSpinning density-separation device
- spectrophotometerLight-measuring analytical instrument
- pipetteGraduated liquid transfer tube
- test tubeNarrow cylindrical lab vessel
fume hood · reagents · sterilization · biohazard · cultures · biopsy · DNA sequencer · evidence locker
DNA analysis
Examining hereditary material
- chromatographyTechnique separating mixtures by differential migration
- spectroscopyStudy of light-matter interaction
- mass spectrometryMeasures ionic weight ratios
toxicology · microscopy · serology · fingerprint analysis · genetic sequencing · biochemistry · calibration · validation · carbon dating
crime scene
Location of an offense
- autopsyMedical examination after death
- evidence collectionSecuring items for prosecution
- reconstructionRebuilding after destruction
profiling · medical examiner · coroner · cause of death · manner of death · time of death · chain of custody · cold case · identification · crime lab
DNA
Hereditary code molecule
- fingerprintsRidge patterns identifying individuals
- bloodstainsDried hemoglobin discolorations
- trace evidenceSmall forensic samples
hair · fibers · gunshot residue · toolmarks · shoeprints · tire tracks · digital evidence · skeletal remains · toxins · pathogens
expert testimony
Specialist's courtroom statement
- courtroomJudicial proceedings chamber
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- defenseProtection against harm
admissibility · chain of custody · cross-examination · wrongful conviction · exoneration · litigation · reasonable doubt · case law · scientific validity
microscope
Instrument for viewing minute objects
- centrifugeSpinning density-separation device
- spectrophotometerLight-measuring analytical instrument
- pipetteGraduated liquid transfer tube
test tube · fume hood · reagents · sterilization · biohazard · cultures · biopsy · DNA sequencer · evidence locker · clean room
cyberforensics
Digital evidence examination
- fire investigationAnalyzing a blaze's origin
- academic fieldsmathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, history
- Criminal Investigationdetective, crime scene, crime investigation, investigator, evidence collection
- policingpatrol, police powers, arrests, police officer, arrest
- STEM activitiesrobotics lab, robotics club, coding camp, coding class, chemistry demo
- lab sciencebiology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, biochemistry
- sciencesbiology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, geology
forensic sciencespeculation
Unproven theorizing or risky investment
conjecture · guesswork · pseudoscience · supposition · hearsay
forensic sciencepseudoscience
Bogus methodology posing as factual
junk science · quackery · superstition · occultism · divination
science, forensic, forensics, ballistics, criminalistics, forensic psychology, forensic pathology, forensic anthropology, forensic scientist