The above is Part One from a lecture given by Attorney Justin J. McShane before the North Carolina Advocates for Justice “Advanced DWI Seminar”. This seminar happened on February 26, 2010. It was organized and hosted by John K. Fanney, Esquire of Fanney & Jackson, P.C. The following is a transcript of this video: My […]
Doggie sniffs are a poor substitute for meaningful analytical chemistry
Without a doubt it is challenging to protect and serve our community. I write a lot on this blog about the shortcomings and limitations in forensic science today. Be assured that there is a lot of good science in forensic science. No matter how far we come, in some arenas the persistence of the myth […]
www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week Winner
This week’s”www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week” honors goes to: Rick McIndoe Congratulations to him! All hail the www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week!!! Dr. Richard A. McIndoe, wishes to promote: Jinfiniti Biosciences is a biomedical research and service company that develops high throughput technologies in genomics, proteomics, and biomarker and drug development. […]
www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week
Forensic Science Geek of the Week Honors Thanks to the combined inspiration of Christine Funk, Esquire and Chuck Ramsay, Esquire, a new twist of this blog is being introduced. A weekly fun forensic science challenge/trivia question. The winner will be affectionately dubbed “www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week.” Rules: The challenge will be posted […]
Pseudoscientists and snake oil salesmen in modern forensic science
Snake oil salesmen The term originally came from the 19th century where unethical and unscrupulous vendors hyped up elixirs and potions that were touted and sold as magic cure-alls. The claims of magic-like restorative properties were hyped up to a frenzied crowd, which bought the elixirs and potions en masse only to later find the […]
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 […]
NIST based and reported expressions of uncertainty isn’t everything
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 […]
The choices we all face in forensic science
One of the most universally recognized sculptures in the world is “David” shown on the left. But do you know the story behind it? Did you know that the famous depiction of David as crafted by the great Michelangelo is a depiction immediately before his battle with Goliath where David is frozen in time at […]
When civil law holds up the organic progression of science
One of my most comforting thoughts comes from the following quote I once heard: Over the long term science is self-correcting Another one that I like is: The free, unhampered exchange of ideas and scientific conclusions is necessary for the sound development of Science, as it is in all spheres of life.’ (Albert Einstein, 1952) […]
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 […]
Government run Crime Labs are never wrong
It never happens, right? Crime labs cannot be wrong. There is no need to be professionally scientifically skeptical as to the reported test results of a crime lab, right? We should always trust the government because, after all, they’re here to do good, right? Right? WRONG! As my great friend and Minnesota criminal trial attorney […]
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