This Week in Forensic Science

Home » Blog » Forensic » This Week in Forensic Science

May 19, 2017
10:13 am

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!

‘Missing in New Jersey’ Aims to Connect Loved Ones with the Lost (Forensic Magazine – 5/12/2017)

“Missing in New Jersey” is for the families and friends of the vanished, who continue to seek answers.

DNA Advance Puts the Bite on Greedy Crooks (The Age – 5/12/2017)

Among the arsenal of police investigative tools, DNA testing is an increasingly potent weapon. Particularly when criminals help the police by helping themselves to the contents of the fridge at the crime scene.

Norway Police Hope New DNA Test Will Reveal Identity of Woman Burned to Death Nearly 50 Years Ago (Fox News – 5/12/2017)

Using the latest DNA analysis techniques they have built a genetic profile of the woman and hope that by sharing the data with forces across Europe they will be able to solve the decades-long mystery.

Body Farm for Researchers and Detectives Opens Near Tampa (Forensic Magazine – 5/15/2017)

A “body farm” where researchers can study how corpses decompose will open next week in the Tampa Bay area with the burial of four donated bodies.

Fentanyl Is So Deadly That It’s Changing How First Responders Do Their Jobs (The Atlantic – 5/15/2017)

The dangerous opioid is forcing police and forensic-lab workers to invent new ways to protect themselves.

DNA from Bomb Fragments Focus of Sam Houston State Study (Forensic Magazine – 5/16/2017)

But new DNA sequencing technologies could be opening up new avenues of identifying bombers, according to a recent study in the journal Forensic Science International: Genetics.

China Moves to Expand DNA Testing in Muslim Region (Fox News – 5/16/2017)

China appears to be laying the groundwork for the mass collection of DNA samples from residents of a restive, largely Muslim region that’s been under a security crackdown, rights observers and independent experts said Tuesday.

Mary Rose Ship Crew ‘To be Identified Using DNA’ (BBC News – 5/16/2017)

Scientists examining human remains from Henry VIII’s flagship Mary Rose are hoping to reconstruct skeletons of some of its crew using DNA.

Africa: Italian Murder Case Wins the 2017 DNA Database Hit of the Year Award (AllAfrica – 5/17/2017)

New international award brings attention to the value of using criminal offender DNA database to solve crime and bring closure to victims and families

FBI Validates STRmix™ for Use on Up to Five-Person Mixtures (Video) (American Security Today – 5/17/2017)

The FBI has published its validation of STRmix™ for use on mixtures of up to five persons, as well as across a wide range of templates and mixture ratios.

DNA Tests on Bone ID Teacher Who Died in 2014 Ferry Sinking (Fox News – 5/17/2017)

DNA testing on a bone found in waters where a sunken ferry was recently raised has identified one of the nine missing passengers from the 2014 disaster that killed more than 300 people, South Korean officials said Wednesday.

Do You Have What It Takes to be a Forensic Fingerprint Examiner? (NIST – 5/18/2017)

With support from NIST, experts are developing tests to help identify people with the pattern-matching skills needed for analyzing fingerprints. Try your eye on a few of the questions by clicking on the button at the end of this article.

Suspect in Child Sex Case Found by DNA Sample from Traffic Stop (Irish Independent – 5/18/2017)

A suspect in the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl was identified after his DNA was taken when he was arrested for a traffic offence.

OSAC Releases Three Standards for Public Comment, Secures 2017 Funding (Forensic Magazine – 5/18/2017)

The data format for biometrics, the technique for comparing pieces of glass and a method to match pieces of tape are all up for public scrutiny and suggestions.

UIndy Forensics Crew Returns to Texas for Migrant identification Initiative (UIndy 360 – 5/18/2017)

For the past four years, a forensics team from the University of Indianapolis has traveled to Texas to exhume and conduct forensic analyses on the remains of migrants who died making the treacherous journey into the United States.