While a lot has been made about the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) traceable standards and NIST’s own reporting of uncertainty. There is a large mistake that has developed even among well-credentialed scientists in that NIST-based and reported expressions of Uncertainty Measurement (UM) are the be all and end all of the conversation […]
Hidden sources of error in forensic science
“It’s the little things that kill”–Bush OK… The band Bush may not be the greatest rock band ever, but their lyric above is indeed remarkable. In forensic science, it is very true that it is the little things that kill. Three of the most often overlooked and hidden sources of analytical error are the “little […]
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 Attorneys Should Know About Significant Digits and Figures
Scientists should acknowledge the limitations of their method and the limitations of the results they are presenting up front and not wait for the defense to develop the concept (if they even know to do so). What should attorneys know about significant digits or figures? It is all about superfluous precision. To a non-technical person, […]
Metrology and Reporting Uncertainty
On May 20 of each year is a great day celebrated all over the world as World Metrology Day. Metrology is so very important in everything, but in forensic science it is fundamental. In honor of that day and in advance of it to hopefully bring some awareness, I will examine Metrology in this post. […]
The prosecution is the enemy of good science
The criminal defense attorney is truly not the enemy of forensic science, the prosecution is. That is a pretty bold statement, but it is true. The way that prosecutor’s present forensic science in the Courtroom is the biggest hindrance to the truth. I took the time to go out and attend the 62nd annual conference […]
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