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Forensic Science

News and Updates

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Organization

Divide and Conquer: New Algorithm Examines Crime-Scene Bullets Segment by Segment

March 26, 2020

On the morning of March 22, 1915, residents of the small town of West Shelby, New York, awoke to a horrific scene. A woman clad only in a bloodied nightgown lay...

A woman holds a cellphone with a bullet hole in it.

NIST Tests Forensic Methods for Getting Data From Damaged Mobile Phones

January 28, 2020

Criminals sometimes damage their mobile phones in an attempt to destroy evidence. They might smash, shoot, submerge or cook their phones, but forensics experts...

FBI Gelogist-Forensic Examiner and videographer in a soil pit.

Forensic Soil Evidence Collection Training Video Now Available

January 16, 2020

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science's Geological Materials Subcommittee, in collaboration with the University of Kentucky...

NIST Publishes 2018 Department of Commerce Laboratories Technology Transfer Report

December 31, 2019

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued the U.S. Department of Commerce’s (DOC) 2018 Annual Report on Technology Transfer. The...

OSAC Adds 25th Standard to the Registry

December 19, 2019

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science has added the 25th standard to its registry of approved standards. The OSAC Registry...

NIST Study Evaluates Effects of Race, Age, Sex on Face Recognition Software

December 19, 2019

How accurately do face recognition software tools identify people of varied sex, age and racial background? According to a new study by the National Institute...

OSAC's Friction Ridge Subcommittee Develops Friction Ridge Process Map

December 10, 2019

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science’s Friction Ridge Subcommittee has developed a friction ridge examination process map...

Bullet fragment is illuminated under microscope lens.

Kennedy Assassination Bullets Preserved in Digital Form

December 5, 2019

In the palm of his hand, Thomas Brian Renegar held two small metal objects that had changed the course of history. Twisted pieces of copper and lead, they were...

Interdisciplinary Training Standard Added to the OSAC Registry

December 2, 2019

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science has added the first interdisciplinary training standard to its registry of approved...

Texas Forensic Science Commission Recommends Crime Laboratories Adopt OSAC Registry Standards

November 22, 2019

The Texas Forensic Science Commission has recommended that all crime laboratories accredited to perform forensic analysis in the State of Texas voluntarily...

Dozens of cars waiting in a queue in front of a building with large letters reading, "U.S. Border Inspection Station."

Stopping Fentanyl at the Border: Can Chemical Detectors Help?

November 21, 2019

Large quantities of the synthetic drug fentanyl flow into the country at ports of entry along the Southwest border, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. As...

Two DNA Standards Considered for OSAC Registry

November 12, 2019

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science Registry serves as a trusted repository of high-quality, technically sound standards...

A Solution to a Hairy Problem in Forensic Science

November 5, 2019

In an effort to make hair comparison a more useful technique for investigating crimes, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)...

SBIR funds internationally marketable quality audit instrument

November 1, 2019

En’Urga Inc., an advanced diagnostic equipment company, recently found success with a Small Business Innovation Research award from the National Institute of...

Houston Forensic Science Center is an Early Implementer of Standards on the OSAC Registry

October 10, 2019

The Houston Forensic Science Center (HFSC) adopted guidelines recommended by the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science in its...

Take a short course in technology transfer (T2) 101

September 25, 2019

Say the term, “Technology Transfer,” to practicing scientists, engineers, and other technical professionals, and one frequently sees a variety of perplexing and...

OSAC Celebrates National Forensic Science Week

September 23, 2019

Forensic science can be a powerful force in support of justice and public safety. Properly applied, it clears the innocent and helps convict the guilty. The...

A Safer Way for Police to Test Drug Evidence

September 17, 2019

Scientists have demonstrated a way for police to quickly and safely test whether a baggie or other package contains illegal drugs without having to handle any...

NIST Announces Plans for OSAC 2.0

September 17, 2019

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Today, the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science...

OSAC 2.0: Updating Structure and Streamlining Processes

September 17, 2019

Overview The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced plans to update the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for...

Woman in safety goggles operates an instrument housed in an aluminum briefcase

Sniffing Out Corpses and Other Signs of Trouble

September 10, 2019

Science stinks. So thought Megan Harries as she measured drops of putrescine and cadaverine — the chemicals that give decomposing corpses their distinctive...

OSAC Adds Two Disaster Victim Identification Standards to the Registry

September 6, 2019

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) i s excited to announce two Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) documents have been...

OSAC Standards Bulletin, September 2019

September 5, 2019

This Bulletin provides an update on forensic science standards moving through the development process at Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs), and those...

OSAC Standards Bulletin, August 2019

August 6, 2019

This Bulletin provides an update on forensic science standards moving through the development process at Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs), and those...

OSAC Newsletter - July 2019 (Summer Edition) Now Available

July 2, 2019

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) has published the Summer Edition of our quarterly newsletter. Read the July 2019...

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