FORENSIC
SCIENCE
Forensic
science is the study of a wide range of sciences to answer problems in the
legal system. In a variety of sectors, forensic science employs cutting-edge
technology to unearth scientific evidence.
EXPLANATION:
The term
"forensic" is derived from the Latin word "forensics,"
which means "used in or suited for courts of justice or public discussion
or debate." Forensic science is any science that is employed for legal
purposes in the public, in a court or in the theine justice system; thus, any
science that is used for legal purposes is forensic science.
Archimedes'
Eureka legend (287–212 B.C.E.) can be considered an early account of the
application of forensic science. Archimedes used water displacement principles
to argue that a crown was not constructed of gold (as had been believed) based
on its density and buoyancy. During the seventh century, fingerprints were used
as a technique of establishing identity. Medical evidence was first used to
determine the mode of death in China in the 11th century, and it flourished in
16th-century Europe. The Office of the Coroner, which combines a medical and
judicial approach to dealing with crimes and is still utilized in the United
States today, was founded in England in the 12th century by King Richard I. The
coroner system was established by the American colonists, and it is still in
use today. There is no requirement that a coroner is a licensed physician under
federal law.
The applications
of modern forensic science are numerous. In civil situations such as forgeries,
fraud, or carelessness, it is used. It can assist law enforcement personnel in
determining whether any rules or regulations governing the marketing of foods
and beverages, the manufacture of medications, or the use of pesticides on
crops have been broken. It can also tell if automotive emissions are below
acceptable limits and if drinking water fulfills legal purity standards.
Forensic science is used to track whether countries are complying with
international accords like the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the
Chemical Weapons Convention, as well as to determine whether they are building
secret nuclear weapons programs. In most crimes involving a victim, such as
assault, robbery, kidnapping, rape, or murder, forensic science is applied.
In a criminal
inquiry involving victims, the medical examiner is a key character. The medical
examiner's job is to go to the crime scene, perform an autopsy (body
examination) in cases of death, examine the medical evidence and laboratory
reports, research the victim's medical history, and compile all of this
information into a report for the district attorney, who is the public
prosecuting officer for a specific district. Medical examiners are typically
forensic pathologists who specialize in the study of structural and functional
changes in the body as a result of injury. Forensic scientists, who are experts
in these subjects, may be called upon by the medical examiner to assist in the
investigation of a crime. In criminal cases, forensic scientists are frequently
involved in the search for an investigation of physical traces that may be
beneficial in establishing or disproving a relationship between a suspect and
the crime scene or victim. Blood, other bodily fluids, hair, textile fibers
from clothing, paint, glass, other building materials, footwear, tool, tire
marks, and incendiary substances used to ignite fires are all examples of such
traces. Occasionally, the scientist will come to the scene to offer advice on
the likely sequence of events and to assist in the early evidence search. Toxicologists
are forensic scientists who look for drugs, poisons, alcohol, and other
chemicals in a person's bodily fluids, tissue, and organs. Others specialize in
weaponry, explosives, or documents of dubious validity.
Dusting the
crime scene for fingerprints is one of the earliest forensic science practices.
Fingerprinting is a reliable method of identification because no two
fingerprints are alike. Law enforcement officials can now digitally record
fingerprints and electronically transmit and receive fingerprint information
for faster identification thanks to advances in computer technology. DNA
fingerprinting is a powerful tool for analyzing blood, hair, skin, and sperm
evidence at a crime scene. A laboratory can quickly clone, or replicate, the
DNA from a little sample of any of these chemicals using an advanced technology
procedure known as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This procedure
generates enough DNA to compare to a criminal suspect's DNA sample.
Today,
forensic science is a high-tech field that analyses and researches evidence utilizing
electron microscopes, lasers, ultraviolet and infrared light, advanced
analytical chemical procedures, and computerized databanks. Actual blood tests,
such as gas chromatography, can be used to determine blood alcohol levels, for
example. This approach involves vaporizing a blood sample at a high temperature
and passing the gas through a column that separates the various chemical
components contained in the blood. Gas chromatography may identify a variety of
substances, including barbiturates, cocaine, amphetamines, and heroin, in
addition to alcohol.
When a body is
located in a lake, stream, river, or ocean with water in the lungs, the medical
examiner must determine whether the drowning occurred in the area where the
body was discovered or elsewhere. The presence or absence of diatoms,
single-celled algae prevalent in all-natural bodies of water, is examined using
a conventional microscope that can magnify things to 1,500 times their true
size. Because diatoms are removed from domestic water during treatment, the
absence of diatoms suggests that the drowning occurred in a sink or bathtub,
not where the body was discovered.
The minute
gunpowder particles present on the hand of a person who has recently shot a gun
are detected using a scanning electron microscope that magnifies items 100,000
times. These particles can also be studied chemically to determine if they came
from a certain type of bullet. The presence of a suspect at a crime scene can
often be determined through forensic testing of substances found at the scene. Bite
marks left by humans can also be used as evidence. Bite marks may be discovered
on a homicide victim's body or in food or other items found at the crime scene,
such as chewing gum. Liquid plastic can be used to cover the impressions left
by these bites by a forensic scientist. When the cast is hardened, it becomes
an exceptionally accurate reproduction of the assailant's teeth, which may be
compared to a cast made from the suspect's teeth.
FORENSIC
SCIENCE SUBDISCIPLINES
Criminalistics
In criminal
investigations, this involves the application of several sciences to address
questions about biological evidence, trace evidence, impression evidence (such
as fingerprints, shoeprints, and tire tracks), controlled substances, and guns.
Accounting
for Legal Purposes
This is the
research and analysis of financial data.
Forensic
Anthropology
Forensic
Anthropology is a branch of forensic science that deals with the study
The use of
physical anthropology in a judicial situation, usually for the retrieval and
identification of skeletonized human remains, is known as forensic
anthropology. Economic Forensics
This includes
present-day estimations of lost earnings and benefits, the lost value of a
firm, lost business profits, lost value of home service, replacement labor
costs, and future medical care expenditures, among other things.
Engineering
Forensics
This is the
study of what causes technologies, vehicles, and structures to fail.
Forensic
Entomology
Forensic
Entomology is a branch of forensic entomology that studies insects
This is the
study of insects in, on, and around human remains to determine the time and
place of death. It's also possible to tell if a body was transferred after it
died.
Forensic
Odontology
Forensic
Odontology is a branch of dentistry that focuses on the study of teeth
This is the
study of teeth's individuality.
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