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This article describes disputes that have arisen around forms of forensic DNA profiling technologies known as 'low-template DNA' methods. These ultra-sensitive techniques, used to analyse trace quantities of DNA, have previously been used in many high-profile criminal cases. However, certain cases have stimulated renewed debate within forensic scientific communities concerning the reliability and validity of low-template DNA. The low-template DNA controversy is used in this article to further explore the co-productive dynamics between biotechnology and criminal justice, which have previously been termed 'biolegality'. My study describes the boundary work through which interlocutors have attempted to frame the status of low-template DNA as a forensic innovation. A series of published exchanges by forensic scientists in a technical journal is used to highlight the challenges of negotiating a series of technological boundaries through which low-template DNA has been comprehended by actors. I show how the articulation of low-template DNA creates new and varying epistemic relationships and dependencies. In making visible this boundary work, I highlight the potential for further exploration of the interactional dimensions of biolegality.

This book goes beyond the glamorous portrayals of CSI professionals on television to highlight the real sources of job satisfaction among forensic scientists. Drawing on interviews with current forensic scientists, this book concludes that forensic scientists experience the most satisfaction in helping victims, the community, and society at large.

Forensic Fingerprints, the latest in the Advanced Forensic Science Serieswhich grew out of the recommendations from the 2009 NAS Report: Strengthening Forensic Science: A Path Forward, serves as a graduate level text for those studying and teaching fingerprint detection and analysis, and will also prove to be an excellent reference for forensic practitioner libraries and for use in casework. Coverage includes fingerprint science, friction ridge print examination, AFIS, foot and palm prints, and the professional issues practitioners may encounter. Edited by a world-renowned leading forensic expert, this book is a long overdue solution for the forensic science community.Provides basic principles of forensic science and an overview of interpretation and comparative methodsContains information on the chemistry of print residue and the visualization of latent printsCovers fingerprint science, friction ridge print examination, AFIS, and foot and palm printsIncludes a section on professional issues, from crime scene to court, lab reports, health and safety, and certificationIncorporates effective pedagogy, key terms, review questions, discussion questions, and additional reading suggestions

Forensic Biology provides coordinated expert content from world-renowned leading authorities in forensic biology. Covering the range of forensic biology, this volume in the Advanced Forensic Science Series provides up-to-date scientific learning on DNA analysis. Technical information, written with the degreed professional in mind, brings established methods together with newer approaches to build a comprehensive knowledge base for the student and practitioner alike. Review and discussion questions allow the text to be used in classrooms, training programs, and numerous other applications. Se

Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- About the editors -- List of contributors -- Foreword -- Series preface -- Preface -- Chapter 1 A primer on microbiology -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 Microbial characteristics -- 1.2.1 Microbial taxonomy and function -- 1.2.2 Enzyme activity -- 1.3 Microorganisms and their habitats -- 1.3.1 Oxygen and moisture -- 1.3.2 Temperature -- 1.4 Competition for resources -- 1.5 The ecology of some forensically relevant bacteria -- 1.5.1 Actinobacteria -- 1.5.2 Firmicutes -- 1.5.3 Proteobacteria -- 1.6 Archaea and microbial eukaryotes -- 1.7 Conclusions -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Chapter 2 History, current, and future use of microorganisms as physical evidence -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.1.1 Why and how are microorganisms used in forensic science? -- 2.2 Methods for identification -- 2.2.1 Classical microbiology -- 2.2.2 Genomics and strain typing -- 2.3 Estimating PMI -- 2.3.1 Microbial succession -- 2.4 Cause of death -- 2.4.1 Natural causes -- 2.4.2 Biocrimes -- 2.5 Trace evidence -- 2.5.1 Human -- 2.5.2 Nonhuman animals and food -- 2.6 Other medicolegal aspects -- 2.6.1 Sexual assault -- 2.6.2 Medical malpractice -- 2.6.3 Nosocomial infections and antibiotic resistance -- 2.6.4 Food safety and environmental contamination -- 2.7 Needs that must be met for use in chain of custody -- 2.8 Summary -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Chapter 3 Approaches and considerations for forensic microbiology decomposition research -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Challenges of human remains research -- 3.3 Human remains research during death investigations -- 3.4 Human surrogates in research -- 3.5 Considerations for field studies -- 3.6 Descriptive and hypothesis‐driven research -- 3.7 Experiment design -- 3.8 Validation studies -- Acknowledgments -- References -- Chapter 4 Sampling methods and data generation