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What is Trace Evidence?
Trace evidence is microscopic amounts of physical or chemical materials that can be analyzed to connect items, people and crime scenes.
Examples of trace evidence can include:
- Gunshot residue
- Explosives
- Hair
- Fibers
- Paint
- Glass
What is NIST’s Role?
Our experts:
- Develop new tools, methods and algorithms to detect and analyze microscopic materials.
- Create reference materials, reference data and databases to help test new trace analysis methods.
- Evaluate the performance of new and emerging technologies for trace evidence analysis.
News and Updates
NIST Study Shows How the Toxic Substances Mixed Into Fentanyl Vary Across the U.S. and Change Over Time
NIST Expands Its Library of ‘Chemical Fingerprints’ to Identify Unknown Substances
Spotlight: Forensics Videos and App for Collecting Trace Evidence
Blog Posts
When Scientists Become Accidental Detectives
Judging the Quality of Forensic Evidence
