Forensic Science Research Paper

Forensic science is the application of science to both criminal and civil laws. Those who work in this field are called forensic scientists. Forensic scientists collect, preserve, and analyze scientific evidence during the course of an investigation. Some forensic scientists travel to collect physical evidence while others work in laboratories to analyze the evidence. There are ten different forensic units and departments that have different purposes and different roles. These units and departments include: The Criminalistics Unit, The Odontology Department, The Pathology Unit, The Anthropology Department, The Entomology Department, The Toxicology Department, The Photography Unit, The Document Examiner Department, The Fingerprint Department,
They must also confiscate any controlled substances (drugs) seized in violation of the law. They need to collect any devices at a crime scene containing explosive charge and any residue from explosion for suspected explosion charges. Fibers are another form of physical evidence. Investigators have to determine whether fibers are natural or synthetic. The transfer of fibers may be helpful in establishing the relationships between objects and people within a case. They must also establish the identity and place at the scene where there are fingerprints. Firearms, projectiles, and cartridges are another type of physical evidence. Criminalistics investigators have to identify and compare them to other exemplars and firearms. They have to tell whether firearm residue was present and if so approximately what distance and angle was the bullet coming from. In some cases there is glass involved in a crime scene. They need to examine glass particles, window panes with holes, and broken windows to determine the transfer evidence, sequence and origin, and characteristics. The criminalistics unit is composed of different departments
Lattes has impacted forensic science tremendously. By discovering that blood could be organized into different groups and could be used to identify a person has made it easier to find suspects today. Sir Alec Jeffreys is a geneticist from the University of Leicester in Great Brittain, not quit in the forensic science field, but he has impacted forensic science forever. One day he realized that he could use DNA to identify people while studying x-ray images of a DNA experiment he was running in his lab. At the time he was focusing on methods to resolve paternity and immigration disputes. While analyzing the DNA he discovered the repetitive patterns of DNA that are now known as Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNTRs) ended up discovering that they were present in all humans but they all vary in length for each individual. He realized that this variation could be used to find out the identity of a person. He called this “genetic fingerprinting”. Mathieu Orfila, also known as the “father of toxicology”, published a treatise on the detection of