Blog Search

Displaying 1 - 11 of 11

Kelly Sauerwein poses sitting at a table in the NIST library, leaning forward and smiling.

How a Forensic Anthropologist Thinks About Human Remains Research — and What It Means for Our Humanity

March 18, 2026

As a person who studies how bodies decompose, I think a lot about something most people probably prefer not to think about — death.

Doug White stands looking at a printed-out list taped to the end of a library shelf.

Software Library Helps Law Enforcement Catch Dangerous Criminals

December 10, 2025

NIST’s software reference library creates digital fingerprints of software — including many older pieces of software that are no longer available.

A researcher wearing a mask, safety glasses and gloves sits at a desk, looking at electronic devices and writing on a clipboard.

Research-Based Practices Can Help Forensic Scientists Do Their Best Work

May 7, 2025

A NIST working group made recommendations to help forensic scientists work more effectively — with the goal of making the justice system more impartial.

Four people sitting outside on a green tarp wear eclipse glasses as they peer up into the sky.

NIST Researchers Measure Greenhouse Gases During the Solar Eclipse

June 5, 2024

Check out some of the things happening at NIST during the past few months through the lens of social media.

NIST’s Researchers Look Ahead to High-Tech Trends in 2023 and Beyond

December 27, 2022

They study topics that impact all of us, from indoor air quality to cybersecurity.

Reflections on Assisting With the 9/11 World Trade Center DNA Identifications

September 1, 2021

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, I walked to work from my home in Olde Towne Gaithersburg, Maryland, and arrived at my office shortly before 9 a.m. I had just

DNA Mixture Interpretations: A Q&A With NIST’s John Butler

July 28, 2021

Whether from skin cells, saliva, semen or blood, DNA from a crime scene is often collected and tested in a lab to see if a suspect’s DNA is likely a contributor

How the JFK Assassination Bullets Were Digitally Preserved at NIST

May 5, 2020

They were long, round-nosed rifle bullets. Their copper metal jackets had the dull color of a worn penny, giving testimony to their age. The gun-barrel rifling

National DNA Day and the Birth of Investigative Genetic Genealogy

April 25, 2019

Happy National DNA Day! Each year on April 25 we celebrate the 1953 publication of James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin’s

Forensic Science is in My DNA

September 18, 2018

Working in law enforcement is as tough as it is rewarding. I got my start in 1968 as a beat cop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. My initial years on the force eventually

Got Evidence? How to Improve Forensic Science

February 18, 2016

On TV crime shows, forensic evidence is collected, analyzed, the suspect positively identified, arrested, convicted, and imprisoned—all in under an hour. There