New forensics research will help identify remains of children

North Carolina State University has invented a new and improved way of identifying premature skeletal remains. Currently the process of identifying child remains is distorted because researchers were under the impression that a child’s permanent face structure is not fully formed until later on in their life. They would not name a skeletons ethnicity with confidence unless the deceased was at least 18 years in age. Determining the heritage or background of a person through examination of the skull is the most important lead in cases such as missing persons, traumatic accidents, or violent crimes. The inability to identify a child remains ethnicity lead to countless cases going cold. With the research and tools from North Carolina State University identifiers can now determine the heritage and backgrounds of skeletal remains of youths. The research team has currently knocked 4 years off the age of the deceased to determine ethnicity; but they are confident that with more research and a larger sample size they can identify even younger children as well. The North Carolina State University research team is able to come up with this data through a field of study that characterizes and assesses biological forms called, “geometric morphometrics”.

The ability to identify this characteristic will lead not only more solved missing-persons cases but also more solved crimes. Now identifiers can go into ‘cold cases’ and re-examine the child’s bone structure to determine the ethnicity of the deceased. With that information they will be able to rule out far more suspects and narrow their spectrum of search. In the future Geometric Morphometrics is leading to a developed software which identifiers will rely on, rather than using calipers which relied on measurements of adults rather than ratios. In combination with facial reconstruction techniques this tool will advance the forensic science community into solving far more cases than they were able to before. These findings can also help anthropologists advance understandings of how populations have moved or changed over time. They can get an idea of a whole population of a specific area at a time rather than only being able to rely on adult measurements.

I thought this article was great. It did a great job of explaining the issue within the science community and how the North Carolina State University researchers were making strides to fix it. The relevance was extremely clear and I loved how they incorporated the relevance on the anthropology community as well as the relevance of the forensic community. I would have liked if the article went into more depth on the identifying software of Geometric morphometrics and how it worked so that we could get more of a grasp on that.

North Carolina State University. "New forensics research will help identify remains of children." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 May 2010. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100513093733.htm>

Tying lipstick smears from crime scenes to specific brands

It is common to see lipstick smears analyzed in TV shows within minutes, but in reality, the procedure isn’t simple. For many years, forensic scientists have utilized various methods to successfully remove lipstick stains from crime scenes and analyze their chemical components. The procedures currently used are costly since they involve steps such as meticulously removing lipstick by hand or examining samples by Raman spectroscopy or X-ray diffraction. Moreover, they require specialized equipment and professional training, which are scarce in supply in financially neglected forensic labs.

Taking these facts into account, forensic scientists at Western Illinois University decided to develop a more efficient and cheaper way to lift samples and analyze them further. Starting with the established method, they began to eliminate unnecessary steps. They challenged themselves with 40 types of lipsticks, making a mark on paper for each one of them; distinguishing different brands of lipsticks since they have unique compositions of organic molecules that give distinct chromatography signals. The final method concluded into a two-part process: add an organic solvent to remove most of the oils and waxes; then add a basic organic solvent to extract the remaining mark. They also didn’t forget to omit methods that involve complex training; the team investigated three types of chromatography —  thin layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography (GC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). GC and HPLC both simply need the sample to be injected into a machine while TLC involves investigators to examine samples on a special type of surface under UV light.

The researchers are still working on the best method but so far they see best results with gas chromatography. They will continue their study by creating a thorough lipstick database and applying various methods.

I thought this was a fascinating study since we never care to think about how investigators collect physical evidence from lipstick stains. Through this article, I was able to get an overall idea of what method is currently utilized and how researchers are working on a more easily applicable method. While I enjoyed the piece, I think it would have been better if it provided a specific example with pictures. With visual samples, it could deepen the readers’ understanding. I am excited to follow up on the research when extensive results are made.

American Chemical Society. "Tying lipstick smears from crime scenes to specific brands." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 March 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160314085037.htm>.

Chemists devise new approach for rapidly identifying 'legal highs'

Queen's University, Belfast. "Chemists devise new approach for rapidly identifying 'legal highs'." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 3 March 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160303084622.htm>.

   

    Chemists from Queen’s University Belfast have developed a test that allows for rapid screenings and identification of “legal highs” or novel psychoactive substances (NPS). “Legal highs” are substances used like illegal drugs and have been responsible for a n umber of deaths in the UK. These legal highs were legal because they were not covered by the drugs legislation and will not be covered until April 6th, 2016. This project was funded by the Department of Justice’s Asset Recovery Community Scheme. The new approach works by detecting the characteristics vibrations of the bonds within the samples by focusing a laser on the sample and measuring the energy of light scattering from it. These vibrations are chemical signatures of the compounds, so when they have been recorded, they can be used to compare vibrations in a “library” of compounds. It is hoped for the future that this will allow laboratory facilities to be freed up for in-depth investigation of those compounds identified as new and unknown.

   This will help solve any drug related cases along with quick and faster drug tests. This is needed since people are making their own drugs just by combining different chemicals. It was said that “In 2014 alone 101 new psychoactive substances were identified.” This new test will help save lives and prevent serious injuries. While this test needs more work, what they have will help tremendously towards identifying these legal highs more quickly.

    The article was very interesting to read and to write about. It went into depth about what the legal highs were and the impact it has had and will have in the near future. Overall, this article was very easy to read and written well.

Forensic scientist tracks the crime scene invaders

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120511101345.htm

"Forensic Scientist Tracks the Crime Scene Invaders." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 May

2012. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

Generally when observing marks on a corpse they can indicate violence and therefore be recognized as a murder. There is also a chance that the marks on the body have been made by legions of insects. Dr. Stefano Vanin, a forensic scientist, has made some valuable discoveries, which will help crime scene investigators find out if the injuries on the body were caused by a killer or by insects. A lot of times insects will go over a corpse and “deposit marks which mimic the effects of a punch,” so it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether the injury was made by a killer or an insect and so it is vital for detectives to determine the differences between insect damage and wounds that a killer made. Dr. Vanin starts to investigate what kind of damage happens to a corpse underwater. A 28 year old male was found in River Brenta in Italy. It turned out that this man drowned and there were some witnesses that said he was struggling in the water. There were no signs of injuries on the body, but during the autopsy small abrasions on the upper eyelids were discovered. These injuries were caused by many amphipods. Dr. Vanin was now able to record the post mortal damage that was caused by the amphipods. The records will be helpful for future cases that involve a body being recovered from fresh water since there are explanations for the different markings on the body.

Determining the difference between wounds inflicted by a murderer and by insects is significant because if forensic scientists see wounds on a corpse then they will most likely think that a murder was committed. When sometimes the death is either natural or accidental and the wounds are created by insects. So some wounds on bodies can be very misleading and lead a case in the wrong direction.

The article was really interesting to read. I found the article to be informative, and the record created by Dr. Vanin will help identify if the bodies wounds are caused by insects or a killer if they are pulled out from fresh water, which will definitely help future cases. Overall, the article was fascinating and easy to understand.  

Lab Tech Suspended after Allegedly ‘Dry Labbing’ Drug Evidence.

Kamal Shah, a forensic scientist at the New Jersey State Police Office, was suspended for “dry labbing” a suspected marijuana sample. Shah wrote “test results” for suspected marijuana, without actually performing tests to see the results. According to Ellie Honig, director of the Division of Criminal Justice, "Mr. Shah was observed in one case spending insufficient time analyzing a substance to determine if it was marijuana and recording an anticipated result without properly conducting the analysis." Honig said. Since 2005, Shah has handled 7,827 cases, all of which may need to be reviewed, if the state office of the public defender deems this appropriate. The prosecutor's office's plan, "is to submit for retesting specimens from open cases. However, it is unclear what will actually happen to the hundreds of people Shah helped to convict.

This article is very relevant to society. Shah clearly faked results here, and it makes you wonder if he has done it before. There is a strong possibility that many individuals were wrongly convicted because of fake results. Normally, you think people working for the state are good guys, but Mr. Shah broke the law. I also wonder if there were any ulterior motives for Mr. Shah to fake results. Or if any other forensic analysts in that office knew what he did and didn’t tell anyone.

I thought this article did a great job going into depth about how big a problem this could really be. The article was very good about getting quotes from both sides of the argument: the prosecutor's and the state office.  I wish the article focused in on more about what Mr. Shah did at his job and didn’t just talk about the possible outcomes. Also, it would have been nice if the author talked about some of the cases Mr. Shah worked on and what his predominant area was in the field of forensics at the state office.

Zaremba, Justin. "Lab Tech Allegedly Faked Result in Drug Case; 7,827 Criminal Cases Now in Question." NJ.com. 2 Mar. 2016. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.

http://www.nj.com/passaic-county/index.ssf/2016/03/state_police_lab_tech_allegedly_faked_results_in_p.html

Examining Skeletal Remains from Ancient Egypt

Miller, Christine. "Examining Skeletal Remains from Ancient Egypt." Forensic Magazine. N.p., 1 Mar. 2016. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.

http://www.forensicmag.com/articles/2016/03/examining-skeletal-remains-ancient-egypt

Examining Skeletal Remains from Ancient Egypt

After remains are observed and evaluated, it is possible to tell about the individual’s health and quality of life.  There is a project in Egypt called the Day Al-Barsha project, which studies mummies and artifacts that span the entire area of the pharaohs into early Christian history.  So far, two bodies were discovered.  These two recovered bodies showed signs of amputation through the metatarsal area, an area in the foot.   It was said that, “these amputations were non-traumatic in nature, suggesting that a systemic illness brought about the autoamputation.”   Experts say that diabetes might be a viable reason to what could have contributed to the loss of their toes.  We know that these these conditions were present in Egypt at the time because it was documented through medical papyrus.  Diabetes may may been present because the diet of Egyptians contained a lot of honey.  There was another mummy recovered from Sheik Abd el-Qurna on the west bank of the Nile.  This mummy shows evidence of a “big toe amputation fitted with a wooden prosthetic device.” Autoamputation of toes is a result of uncontrolled diabetes leading to ischemic vascular disease. The lack of blood flow gives way to dry gangrene and putrefaction.

Evaluating bones of the past of certain ancient civilizations allows us to have a glimpse of the past.  We are able to see the medical conditions of the past civilizations and we realize how improved the field of medicine is today. However, despite all of the advances in science and technology, humans still face difficulties with certain diseases, such as diabetes.  

This article was overall really interesting to read and write about. Identifying and examining skeletal remains is something that interests me in the forensic field.  This article, in general, was nicely and clearly written, which made it easy to understand.   

How Science cracked a 50 year-old Case

How Science cracked a 50 year-old Case

"How Science Cracked a 50-Year-Old Cold Case." Forensic Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.

The appropriate tools are crucial to a crime scene when needed. In some situations, technology isn't developed until years later. Thanks to advanced technology, many cases are solved. With the help of modern DNA technology, the long unsolved death of a high school girl found by the side of the Garden State Parkway in the fall of 1965 was tracked back to New Jersey’s most infamous suspected serial killer. This information was found with the use of impeccably-preserved sample collected during the autopsy a half century ago. The tool that provided the breakthrough in the case was the applied biosystems AmpFISTR Identifiler amplification kit. This system can essentially take a minute sample, and multiply it by a huge magnitude through a process known as PCR, or polymerase chain reaction. The evidence from this case, had been stored by the state police and then the county prosecutor’s office, was still in storage waiting for the right tool. The biological evidence was taken from the Klinsky’s remains during the girl’s autopsy, and stored in a sealed container for 50 years. The sensitivity of the Applied Biosystems tool, in use since 2007 at the NJ State Police Laboratory , allowed the match to the killer. According to Marc LeMieux, first assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, “Anytime there is new technology we will take out older files- our cold cases, and we will look to see if there’s anything we can do”.

I think it’s a great thing that even if they don't find the appropriate tools when needed, they preserve the evidence in hope of being eligible to solving the crime in the future with advanced technology.

While this article was very detailed and informative, it would have been better if they talked more about the tools they used when they didn't have technology to aid them solve cases.

How 3D laser scanners are changing crime scene investigations

3D laser scanners in crime scene investigations have really helped investigators that are gathering the data at a crime scene. The scanners are very critical in preserving the information and creating effective presentations for trials. Whether it is being used for a major crime scene, such as a homicide, or traffic accident, they are very effective and analyze and present information clearly. One of the most important benefits of the laser scanner is the fact that it reduces the amount of time it takes for investigators to fully clear a crime scene while still capturing a lot of information. The laser scanner can capture data much more precisely than any other device, or an investigator's hand. While working with a small scene, the scanner takes up to 10 minutes and setting up the scanner is actually the hardest/longest part.

The reason this scanner is so beneficial is because investigators and departments do not have to spend so much time processing and gathering all the information because the machine will do it for them. Also, if there is an accident on the road, and an officer is trying to gather information they are at risk of an injury, especially on a busy road, so using this machine reduces the risk tremendously. It cuts down the amount of traffic that is held up from an accident due to all the commotion or investigators on scene. Also, the data is preserved digitally, meaning investigators can use the stored crime scene data to continue their investigates. With officers not using this electronic machine, can write down any information and it could be lost instantly. By using the digitally preserved object, they can go back and virtually look at all the measurements. To conclude, the new laser scanners offer a new way of collecting, storing, and presenting crime scene data that improves upon the methods currently being used by any department across the country.

I have nothing bad to say about this article. It was extremely informative, and I had a great time reading about this new scanner. The scanner seems very beneficial to investigators and it is definitely going to further our technology and efficiency. There could have been more information how how the technology is transforming and how is different than any other piece of technology we have used. The article explained that is was more efficient, and easier to store, collect, and present the information but the article did not explain how that is the case.

http://www.policeone.com/csi-forensics/articles/8720378-How-3D-laser-scanners-are-changing-crime-scene-investigations/

Technologies, FARO. "How 3D Laser Scanners Are Changing Crime Scene Investigations." PoliceOne. N.p., 24 Aug. 2016. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.

Georgetown Receives $10 Million for Forensic Research on the Holocaust

CITATION

Georgetown University. "Georgetown Receives $10 Million for Forensic Research on the

Holocaust." Forensic Magazine. Advantage Business Media, 26 Feb. 2016. Web. 2 Mar.

2016. <http://www.forensicmag.com/news/2016/02/georgetown-receives-10-million-forensic-research-holocaust>.

SUMMARY

Georgetown University has received a generous donation of 10 million dollars to fund an endowed professorship for the forensic study of the Holocaust at the Center for Jewish Civilization in the School of Foreign Service. Some of the donation will also go to related research, teaching and public service programs on the Holocaust, its origins, methods and consequences.

All of the money comes from Norman and Irma Braman. However, one of the most noteworthy of the people involved would have to be Father Patrick Desbois. He is the inaugural holder of the Braman endowed professorship of the Practice of the Forensic Study of the Holocaust and a Roman Catholic priest from France who has pioneered the application of modern forensics research methods on the Holocaust.

Interestingly enough, Desbois is able to use “a multidisciplinary approach… with ongoing interviews of eyewitnesses”. In 2013, the scholar was recruited by the Center for Jewish Civilization’s Associate Director Dennis McManus to teach at the Jan Karski Institute for Holocaust Education in order to prepare primary and secondary teachers for teaching the Holocaust to students in the United States.

The two teach the Holocaust by Bullets class (named for Desbois’s book) with promise of an upcoming trip to Russia and Eastern Europe that will produce original field research. The goal of the fund and professorship is to educate about the Holocaust and hence, prevent it. Desbois hopes to do this by teaching “future leaders to provide material and legal evidence of these atrocities through field experience and by teaching a forensic methodology”. This includes the usage of written records based on oral testimonies of eyewitnesses to the actual physical evidence within the killing fields mentioned in Desbois’ novel.

RELEVANCE

Overall, this recent news is very important for America, since time speeds the current generations further and further away from understanding the genocide during and before WWII. The Holocaust survivors are aging more every day and very few are alive now. In order to share in knowledge of this travesty, the well-endowed Braman fund and professorship is sure to prepare students, teachers, journalists, and future leaders of all kinds to avoid a massacre of such disastrous proportions.

Norman Braman himself summed up the significance of his donation short but sweetly: “Our shared goal is to support research, teaching and public programs that deepen our understanding of the many disparate factors that led to the Holocaust… Father Desbois’ ongoing and intensive forensic research… is offering fresh insight into an unimaginable crime against humanity. His work reminds us that the study of the Holocaust should never cease… And in that there is hope that it will not be repeated.”

This goal allows the true relevance of this event to shine through; it is imperative that a new method of study will help the world glean more information about travesties like the Holocausts and hopefully prevent them. Ideas and theories about the conditions that bring about these things are exchanged at public outreach programs and an annual symposium. The fact that these important subjects can be discussed even today is a privilege that will prevent other possible Holocausts to come, at least for now.

CRITIQUE

Here is a bit of background for the article: it was published and written by Georgetown University, so this article serves to promote the university just as it promotes the prominence of forensic methodology. As a result, there are certain aspects that must be kept in mind.

First of all, the writing and structure of the article is really well done. It is obvious the school and everyone else involved is really proud of this project. Best of all, the article really drives home the importance of this endowed fund and how it will contribute to making this world a better place by providing research and tools that are necessary to minimize needless bloodshed and bigotry. The spirit of the university, of the Bramans, of Rev. Patrick Desbois and everyone else involved is perfectly captured.

Despite this, the writers could afford to improve upon their work by supplementing it with two simple suggestions. First, while this article discusses what the fund will be used for and how, the forensics aspect could be more emphasized on. If this project will go on to do and create great things, it is only natural that one would want to find out how.

So far, there is already a bit already known: written records of eyewitnesses’ oral testimony and the proof found in the actual physical evidence, but what would really make this article phenomenal would be if the writers included a piece on  what sort of physical evidence could be examined. Anecdotes are welcomed as well. Last but not least, this article only focuses on the United States. Is it possible for this program to educate Americans to help benefit other nations as well? Something this important should not just be limited to America, no matter how great it is.

Virginia inmate to get new DNA testing

Emme Kerj

Current event 15 article review

The article I read explains how a case about a man who was convicted of raping and murdering a 10 year old girl in 1990 is being reopened again. The man was convicted based on the evidence of one hair being found at the crime scene however it was later on determined that the hair did not originate from a “negroid” but rather a man who has a “caucasoid” mother so it could not have come from the suspect. The man’s lawyers therefore claimed that they needed more evidence in order to rightfully convict the suspect however all evidence had been destroyed after the trial. When the man’s lawyer’s kept calling different judges they later found out that a woman had a bag of evidence left. The lawyer’s now expect the evidence to be processed on March 28th for further testing.

This article is extremely relevant to the scientific and criminalist community since it shows that science can bring light to evidence over time since techniques are always being improved and new ways of testing evidence might be invented. It also shows how important it is to test every piece of evidence in a case in other to rightfully convict someone. The article also challenges beliefs that a suspect can be convicted with only one piece of hair and as we have learned in class, most hair found at the crime scene is in the talogen stage so it does not contain a significant amount of DNA.

I thought this article did a good job explaining the process that the lawyers went through trying to find more evidence however they did not explain why this bag of evidence had never been tested. It was really unclear as to why evidence had been destroyed after the trial and how a judge could convict someone based on only one piece of hair when that piece of hair also contradicted that the suspect was guilty.

Works cited:

Augenstein, Seth. "Virginia Inmate, Serving 100 Years for Rape Based on Hair, to Get New DNA Testing." Forensic Magazine. Forensic Magazine, 25 Feb. 2016. Web. 02 Mar. 2016. <http://www.forensicmag.com/news/2016/02/virginia-inmate-serving-100-years-rape-based-hair-get-new-dna-testing>.

http://www.forensicmag.com/news/2016/02/virginia-inmate-serving-100-years-rape-based-hair-get-new-dna-testing