This is the Phantom of Heilbronn. The Phantom of Heilbronn was thought of as the most prolific murderer who was allegedly responsible for a whole rash of crimes from murder to burglary. Quite a busy person. So, busy that the Phantom was all across Europe doing what the Phantom does, I suppose, which is getting […]
Another example of flat out bad forensic science: Bad DNA results
In prior posts we discussed our forensic science wall of shame. Urine testing ain’t worth piss Government run Crime Labs are never wrong Now, we have to add this one to the ranks… Errors lead to firing of OSBI DNA analyst This article is is so remarkable that it earns its own post. Why? While […]
Mass Spectrometry is only computer assisted pattern recognition
In our prior post, CRMs: Reference materials and standards, we saw how the library is important in analytical chemistry. It enables the analyst to compare the unknown to a known to arrive at an opinion that is often expressed as a conclusion. We saw that there are many different commercial sources for these libraries. In […]
CRMs: Reference materials and standards
Before we had blogged on the importance of metrology and uncertainty reporting as well as advancing (or rather inching) towards ISO 17025. Part of the integrity of any sort of testing of unknowns has to do with the veracity of the sources of knowns against which the unknowns are compared. For if we do not […]
Bayesian Based Metrology and DNA
A great friend and colleague of mine from Maryland recently had a trial involving mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that was used to “not exclude” his client as the donor of a particular hair found within the duct tape used to fashion a home-made silencer used to kill a lady. Leaving the use of mtDNA alone for […]
What constitutes a “match” in forensic science?
The concept of a match at first look blush seems rather elemental. However, if we really were to think of it, the concept is indeed fungible. In forensic science, there is no universally held definition across all disciplines or even within a disciple as to what constitutes sufficient similarity to evoke that coveted and magic […]
Breath testing theory for ETOH is wrong and unscientific
In the above trailer for the movie Catch Me if You Can, Leonardo DiCaprio dawned the disguises of various professionals (e.g., pilot, banker, lawyer) to hide the fact that he was simply a teenager. Initially, he made very modest claims, but as the movie progresses his hubris took control. He made increasingly bold and increasingly […]
Forensic firearm and toolmark analysis is unscientific
There is an joke in the criminal defense bar…. Q: What does forensic firearm and toolmark analysis have in common with interpretive dance? A: They are both totally subjective with no universal or applied method to determine the quality of the results. Why: You see when it comes to this form of pattern recognition, meaning […]
Pattern Recognition is it Science or an Art?
We looked at the National Academy of Sciences body of work wherein it identified weaknesses in the way that forensic science in the United States is practiced. One of the major areas that it focused on and ultimately took issue with concerned the body of forensic sciences loosely called pattern recognition. The basic pseudo-scientific principles […]
A Quick Summary of The National Academy of Sciences Report
“Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward” was the end product of three (3) years of research and testimony taken by the Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Sciences Community and the Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. To […]
Senate Judiciary Committee-Draft Outline of Forensic Science Reform Legislation
It appears as if someone is listening in Congress. On May 5, 2010, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a “Draft Outline of Forensic Reform Legislation.” In my opinion: It is a good start, but with a target as big as a barn as identified painstakingly by the NAS report, the Senate Judiciary Committee seems to […]
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