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Displaying 26 - 50 of 76

Study Indicates That Humidity in Breath Makes Cotton Masks More Effective at Slowing the Spread of COVID-19

March 9, 2021

Researchers have come up with a better way to test which fabrics work best for masks that are meant to slow the spread of COVID-19. By testing those fabrics...

A scientist in lab coat and rubber gloves places a large clear bag of marijuana on a weighing scale.

NIST Study Will Help Labs Distinguish Between Hemp and Marijuana

January 14, 2021

Hemp and marijuana both come from the Cannabis plant. But legally, they are very different. If cannabis has less than 0.3% THC — for tetrahydrocannabinol, the...

K9 Chemistry: A Safer Way to Train Detection Dogs

December 2, 2020

Trained dogs are incredible chemical sensors, far better at detecting explosives, narcotics and other substances than even the most advanced technological...

New Airflow Videos Show Why Masks With Exhalation Valves Do Not Slow the Spread of COVID-19

November 10, 2020

Many people wear masks in public to slow the spread of COVID-19, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, masks with...

NIST Launches an Updated Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science

October 1, 2020

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees ( OSAC) for Forensic Science has updated its structure and improved several processes. These changes will enable...

Green leafy material inside a graduated cylinder.

NIST to Help Labs Achieve Accurate THC, CBD Measurements

July 21, 2020

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched a program to help laboratories accurately measure key chemical compounds in marijuana...

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

NIST Adds New 'Fingerprints' to Chemical Identification Database

June 17, 2020

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated its database of chemical fingerprints, called mass spectra, that are used to identify...

An illustration of a black box with a human brain in it. The input to the black box is 0's and 1's, the output includes icons of maps, emails, calendar appointments and other data that might be useful in a criminal investigation.

NIST to Digital Forensics Experts: Show Us What You Got

June 2, 2020

Digital forensics experts often extract data from computers and mobile phones that may contain evidence of a crime. Now, researchers at the National Institute...

Two New Forensic DNA Standards Added to the OSAC Registry

May 12, 2020

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science has placed two new standards covering the interpretation of DNA evidence on its...

In Glowing Colors: Seeing the Spread of Drug Particles in a Forensic Lab

April 22, 2020

When two scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) brought black lights and glow powder into the Maryland State Police crime lab...

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...

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...

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)...

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...

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...

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...

yellow crime scene tape with the words CRIME SCENE DO NOT ENTER

Houston Forensic Science Center to Voluntarily Adopt OSAC Standards

December 18, 2018

One of the nation’s leading crime laboratories, the Houston Forensic Science Center (HFSC), has announced that it will voluntarily adopt standards approved by...

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

New Protocol for Measuring Background Levels of Drugs in Crime Labs

September 25, 2018

When crime lab chemists handle evidence that contains illegal drugs, trace amounts of those drugs are inevitably released into the laboratory environment. When...

NIST Updates Forensic Standard Reference Materials

September 19, 2018

At forensic science labs, analysts literally weigh the evidence. They also measure it in other ways. They use microscopes, DNA profiling kits, chemical...

illustration with boat on water. Under the water there are fish. Some have green checkmarks and some have red question marks. All but one of the red question mark fish are caught in a net

Database of Software “Fingerprints” Expands to Include Computer Games

September 10, 2018

One of the largest software libraries in the world just grew larger. The National Software Reference Library (NSRL), which archives copies of the world’s most...

NIST Builds Statistical Foundation for Next-Generation Forensic DNA Profiling

July 23, 2018

DNA is often considered the most reliable form of forensic evidence, and this reputation is based on the way DNA experts use statistics. When they compare...

Data-Sharing Website May Speed Response to New Illegal Drugs

July 5, 2018

The drug overdose epidemic currently gripping the nation is so tenacious in part because it’s being driven by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that comes in many...

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 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...

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...

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