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Forensic Science

News and Updates

Keyword

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Three New Standards Approved for OSAC Registry

June 26, 2018

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) has approved three new standards for inclusion on the OSAC Registry. This registry...

Drone Forensics Gets a Boost With New Data on NIST Website

June 5, 2018

Aerial drones might someday deliver online purchases to your home. But in some prisons, drone delivery is already a thing. Drones have been spotted flying drugs...

a forensic face examiner considers whether two images show the same person

NIST Study Shows Face Recognition Experts Perform Better With AI as Partner

May 29, 2018

Experts at recognizing faces often play a crucial role in criminal cases. A photo from a security camera can mean prison or freedom for a defendant—and...

OSAC Releases an Online Lexicon for the Forensic Sciences

March 13, 2018

The forensic sciences encompass dozens of disciplines, each with its own history and vocabulary. As a result, a word might mean one thing to forensic...

A graph with vertical lines showing the mass spectrum of fentanyl

Free Software Can Help Spot New Forms of Fentanyl and Other Illegal Drugs

March 7, 2018

Fentanyl, the synthetic drug that is driving a nationwide overdose epidemic, is not only a killer. It’s also a shape shifter. Illicit chemists are constantly...

NIST Announces 2018 Small Business Innovation Research Funding Opportunity

February 16, 2018

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is now accepting proposals for its 2018 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards. The...

Graphic explaining the CMC method for comparing ballistic surfaces

How Good a Match is It? Putting Statistics into Forensic Firearms Identification

February 8, 2018

On February 14, 1929, gunmen working for Al Capone disguised themselves as police officers, entered the warehouse of a competing gang, and shot seven of their...

photo of graduation certificate, book, and mortarboard

Four Universities Receive NIST Funding to Develop Standards Curricula

January 16, 2018

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has made four awards totaling approximately $266,000 to...

A Framework for Harmonizing Forensic Science Practices and Digital/Multimedia Evidence

January 11, 2018

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC), which works to strengthen forensic science through the development of...

New NIST Forensic Tests Help Ensure High-Quality Copies of Digital Evidence

December 12, 2017

Data found on a suspect’s computer, cell phone or tablet can prove to be crucial evidence in a legal case. A new set of software tools developed at the National...

Empty courtoom with seats and scales of justice on table

NIST Experts Urge Caution in Use of Courtroom Evidence Presentation Method

October 12, 2017

Editor’s Note: The headline on this article was updated to clarify that NIST as an institution is not making a policy recommendation on this subject. The peer...

NIST to Assess the Reliability of Forensic Methods for Analyzing DNA Mixtures

October 3, 2017

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will undertake a study to assess the reliability of forensic methods for analyzing DNA evidence that...

The Physicist Who is Working to Accelerate Change in Forensic Science

September 26, 2017

Sylvester James Gates, Jr. is a world-recognized researcher in theoretical physics. Formerly of the University of Maryland and now a professor at Brown...

The Forensic Scientist Who Knows How to Build Consensus

September 26, 2017

Jeremy Triplett has had a busy three years. Since the inception of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science ( OSAC) in 2014, Triplett...

Lynn Garcia at the 2017 International Error Management Symposium

Speaking of Error in Forensic Science

September 5, 2017

When Continental flight 3407 crashed on approach to Buffalo Niagara airport on February 12, 2009, all 49 persons on board, and one on the ground, were killed...

NIST Seeks Input on OSAC 2.0

August 30, 2017

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking public input on a potential new organizational...

Scientists Automate Key Step in Forensic Fingerprint Analysis

August 14, 2017

The first big case involving fingerprint evidence in the United States was the murder trial of Thomas Jennings in Chicago in 1911. Jennings had broken into a...

Standard for Glass Comparison Approved for OSAC Registry

July 31, 2017

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) has approved the Standard Test Method for Forensic Comparison of Glass Using Micro X...

Scientists Lay the Groundwork for a Reliable Marijuana Breathalyzer

July 5, 2017

Marijuana is now legal for recreational or medicinal use in at least 28 states and the District of Columbia. But driving under the influence of marijuana is...

Fire Testing of New Building Materials

June 8, 2017

New, lighter, cheaper, sustainable and recyclable building materials are entering the market every day as developers try to lower costs and shrink their carbon...

Woman uses gas analysis mass spectrometer at NBS for chemical analysis of gas or vapor mixtures

NIST Upgrades Widely Used Database of Molecular 'Fingerprints'

June 6, 2017

When scientists need to identify an unknown compound, they do what a police detective might do. They get fingerprints—in this case, the “molecular fingerprints”...

Do You Have What It Takes to be a Forensic Fingerprint Examiner?

May 18, 2017

Being a forensic examiner seems glamorous on TV. But working in a crime lab requires long hours of intense focus that are anything but action-packed. This is...

Two vials, one with heroin and one with an equivalent dose of fentanyl, which is a much smaller amount.

Fentanyl Can Sicken First Responders. Here’s a Possible Solution.

May 9, 2017

Dan Kallen, a detective in southern New Jersey, was searching a home with fellow officers in August 2015, when they found a bag of white powder. Kallen removed...

Standard for Sampling Seized Drugs Approved for OSAC Registry

April 3, 2017

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) has approved the Standard Guide for Sampling Seized Drugs for Qualitative and...

Man in NIST fire research t-shirt and hard hat standing among wreckage

Fire Investigator Qualifications Standard Approved for OSAC Registry

December 22, 2016

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science has approved the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard for...

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