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Image of blood in a test tube with the four base pairs of DNA in the background.
A Novel Polymerase Reduces Stutter in Forensic DNA Analysis
A breakthrough enzyme aims to resolve a persistent DNA artifact that has challenged forensic analysis for decades.
A Novel Polymerase Reduces Stutter in Forensic DNA Analysis
A Novel Polymerase Reduces Stutter in Forensic DNA Analysis

A breakthrough enzyme aims to resolve a persistent DNA artifact that has challenged forensic analysis for decades.

A breakthrough enzyme aims to resolve a persistent DNA artifact that has challenged forensic analysis for decades.

forensics

Collection of microbes superimposed over a human illustration.
Microbial Clocks for Corpses
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Apr 24, 2024 | 4 min read
Microbes on decomposing bodies inform forensic investigations.
Illustration showing the upper part of a human body connected to a DNA helix
Unraveling the Mystery of Zombie Genes
Iris Kulbatski, PhD | Oct 31, 2023 | 6 min read
Digging into how and why some genes are resurrected after death sounds morbid, but it has practical applications. 
illustration of many DNA strands
Doppelgängers Similar in Looks and DNA: Study
Sophie Fessl, PhD | Aug 30, 2022 | 3 min read
Look-alikes are also more likely to share lifestyle traits.
Seqenenre pharaoh egypt mummy ct scan paleoradiology hyksos murder
Scientists Reconstruct Warrior Pharaoh’s Murder Using CT Scans
Stephenie Livingston | Feb 17, 2021 | 3 min read
A forensic investigation of Seqenenre Taa II’s traumatic injuries suggests he died with his hands tied behind his back, perhaps the end result of fighting to liberate his kingdom.
Fly Colonies Help Calculate Time of Death of Car Trunk Cadavers
Ashley Yeager | Jul 13, 2020 | 4 min read
Using pigs as human proxies, forensic entomologists reveal how bodies in vehicles decompose differently from those dumped outside.
China Is Using DNA from Uighurs to Predict Physical Features
Catherine Offord | Dec 3, 2019 | 2 min read
An investigation reveals that the government is developing technology to try to reconstruct a person’s appearance based on a genetic sample, raising concerns for the rights of Muslim minority groups in the country.
hair analysis drug testing forensics doping test
Technique Improves Use of Hair for Drug Tests
Chia-Yi Hou | May 15, 2019 | 3 min read
Researchers develop a washing method that is better at removing drugs that have contaminated hair from the outside than existing protocols.
Rapid DNA Analysis Steps In to Identify Remains of Wildfire Victims
Katarina Zimmer | Nov 30, 2018 | 4 min read
Investigators have the victims’ samples in hand, but face a range of obstacles before they can finally ID them.
UK Judges Receive Primers on Forensic Science
Catherine Offord | Mar 1, 2018 | 4 min read
Scientists in the U.K., in collaboration with members of the judiciary, have launched the first in a series of explanatory documents designed to help integrate science into the courtroom.
Point of Order
The Scientist | Feb 28, 2018 | 1 min read
Watch Niamh Nic Daéid’s TedX talk about forensic evidence in the courtroom.
Gene Activity Could Give Clues to Time of Death
Ashley Yeager | Feb 12, 2018 | 2 min read
RNA-sequencing data reveal that specific tissues have distinct changes in gene expression after an individual has passed away.
Rhino Forensics Used to Track Down Poachers and Traffickers
Katarina Zimmer | Jan 8, 2018 | 2 min read
A genetic library for African rhinoceros populations has helped match illegally trafficked products to individual poached animals in more than 120 criminal cases. 
Two Genetic Forensics Techniques Draw Fire
Shawna Williams | Sep 12, 2017 | 2 min read
Defense attorneys allege New York City used “unreliable” methods on DNA evidence in thousands of cases.
DNA Analysis Throws New Light on the 1845 Franklin Arctic Expedition
Catherine Offord | Aug 3, 2017 | 4 min read
Anthropologists make use of forensic science to delve into historical mysteries.
Notable Science Quotes
The Scientist | Jun 1, 2017 | 2 min read
March for Science, Trumping the EPA, the French election, and more
Forensics Left in Lurch by Sessions
Bob Grant | Apr 11, 2017 | 2 min read
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions is terminating a commission in which independent researchers and federal agencies seek to improve forensic science standards.
Monitoring Post-Mortem Gene Transcription in Mice and Zebrafish
Joshua A. Krisch | Jan 25, 2017 | 3 min read
Genes linked to embryonic development, stress, and cancer are increasingly transcribed into RNA after these animals die.
Amsterdam to Open Forensic Cemetery
Bob Grant | Jan 23, 2017 | 1 min read
The facility—the first of its kind in Europe—will help researchers study what happens to decomposing bodies.
Forensics 2.0
Bob Grant | Jan 1, 2017 | 10+ min read
Meet the researchers working to untangle the mystery of a Missouri home filled with bones by bringing cutting-edge technologies into the crime lab.
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