Forensics is about uncovering the truth in a criminal investigation using available evidence, but how reliable is the evidence? Learn how experts use the latest science on fingerprinting, DNA, and eyewitness testimony to make the evidence more reliable.
Advances In Fingerprinting
Simona Francese, Professor of Forensic and Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry at Sheffield Hallam University, explains how today’s technology goes far beyond analyzing lines and swirls in a fingerprint. It can now also detect molecules that provide information about drug use, age, dietary habits, and actions preceding the crime.
DNA Identification
Abby Schwaderer, Quality Assurance Manager for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, discusses how DNA evidence is used in crime laboratories. She explains how the FBI database of DNA records is used every day by federal, state, and local law enforcement across the United States to move investigations forward.
Is Memory Reliable?
Dr. Gary Wells, a Distinguished Professor of Experimental Social Psychology at Iowa State University, explains that our memories are not as reliable as we may think, which has important implications for eyewitness identification. Knowing this, his team has developed a protocol to improve the reliability of eyewitness evidence.
QED with Dr. B
QED with Dr. B, is a fun and informative science series, co-produced by WOSU Public Media and the Center for Science and Industry (COSI), that talks one-on-one with the scientists, engineers and innovators who are redefining how we interact with our world.
Watch the series online or on WOSU TV on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.