Serology
DNA
Entomology
Anthropology/Firearms
Toxicology
100
What is the term for the clumping of red blood cells due to mixing incompatible blood types?
Agglutination
100
What is the shape of DNA and what does it code for?
Double Helix
Proteins
100
The first type of insect is typically found on a fresh corpse.
Blow Flies
100
What are striations?
Microscopic marks left on a bullet by a specific barrel.
100
What is the legal BAC limit for driving in NYS?
0.08%
200
What are the antigens and antibodies present in blood type AB?
Antigens: A and B
Antibodies: none
200
What type of DNA is inherited from ones biological mother?
Mitochondrial DNA (mDNA)
200
Insect activity on a body is lowest during this season/weather.
Winter/cold and dry
200
What tool is the most commonly used in firearms comparison?
Comparison Microscope
200
What is the best method to estimate the level of a toxin in the body?
Blood testing
300
Which chemical test glows blue when sprayed on trace amounts of blood?
Luminol
300
What does gel electrophoresis do?
Separate DNA segments by size and charge to identify common patterns between unknown DNA samples and known.
300
What is PMI?
Postmortem interval (PMI) estimation is the use of insect growth and development to estimate time since death.
300
How do you differentiate female skeletal remains from male skeletal remains?
Pelvis (most reliable)
Pelvic Inlet:
Female: Wide and oval-shaped for childbirth
Male: Narrow and heart-shaped
Subpubic Angle:
Female: Wide, greater than 90°
Male: Narrow, less than 90°
Overall Pelvis:
Female: Short, broad, and more open
Male: Tall, narrow, and more closed
🦴 Skull Features (less reliable)
Forehead:
Female: Vertical and rounded
Male: Sloped and more angular
Brow Ridges:
Female: Smooth and less prominent
Male: Pronounced and heavy
Jaw (Mandible):
Female: Rounded and smaller
Male: Square and larger
Mastoid Process (behind the ear):
Female: Small
Male: Large
Occipital Region (back of skull):
Female: Smooth
Male: Prominent ridge
300
Explain the difference between a presumptive test and a confirmatory test with examples.
Presumptive: quick, indicates presence (e.g., color tests)
Confirmatory: identifies specific substance (e.g., GC-MS).
400
What blood type is the universal donor? Universal acceptor?
Donor: O-
Acceptor: AB+
400
What cold case utilized the familial DNA website, GEDmatch, to correctly identify and convict a suspect?
The Golden State Killer
400
What is a carrion?
The term for dead or decaying animal flesh that attracts insects.
400
Spiral marks inside a gun barrel that help stabilize the bullet in flight are known as
Rifling
400
What tests are used in a field sobriety test?
1. Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) Test
2. Walk and Turn Test
3. One-Leg Stand Test
500
Name four types of blood spatter patterns.
Cast-off
Arterial
Satellite
Gunshot
Impact
Passive
Expirated
500
Draw the building blocks of DNA and label their parts.
500
You find House Fly larva of 28 mm and Skipper Fly larva of 15 mm. What does this suggest about the time of death?
The body has been dead for 12 days.
500
What feature of bones aids anthropologists in determining the age of a victim?
The growth plate (epiphyseal plate) plural: epiphyses
500
What is the term for converting heroin into morphine in the body?
Biotransformation