trace evidence
This type of trace evidence is often transferred through direct contact and can include animal or human strands.
What is hair?
This inner layer of hair contains pigment granules that give hair its color.
What is the cortex?
This molecule carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, and functioning of all living things.
What is DNA?
This term describes the different sizes of particles in soil, such as sand, silt, and clay.
What is soil texture?
These types of fingerprints are left by natural oils and sweat on surfaces, and are usually invisible until revealed with powder or chemicals
What are latent fingerprints?
The forensic principle stating that “every contact leaves a trace” was developed by this scientist.
Who is Edmond Locard?
This hair structure can be continuous, fragmented, or absent and helps forensic scientists classify hair.
What is the medulla?
DNA is made up of smaller units called these, which include a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.
What are nucleotides?
The acidity or alkalinity of soil is measured using this scale.
What is pH?
Forensic examiners compare ridge endings, bifurcations, and dots, collectively known as these, to identify a match.
What are minutiae points?
This microscopic trace evidence is commonly analyzed using a polarized light microscope and can link a suspect to a crime scene.
What is fiber?
This part of the hair shaft is made of overlapping scales and protects the hair.
What is the cuticle?
This part of the DNA sequence varies greatly between individuals and is often used in forensic identification.
What are VNTRs/STRs?
In forensic botany, analyzing the unique pattern of tree rings, called this, can help determine the season a crime occurred or the origin of timber evidence.
What is dendrochronology?
A worn spot, cut, or embedded debris in a shoe or tire print that makes it unique is called this type of characteristic.
What are individual characteristics?
At a crime scene, trace evidence is usually collected carefully using these tools to avoid contamination.
What are tweezers, forceps, and gloves?
These fibers come from natural sources such as plants or animals.
What is a natural fiber?
This type of DNA is inherited only from your mother and can be used to trace maternal ancestry.
What is mtDNA
These soil particle sizes (in order of smallest to largest)
What is clay, slit, sand, gravel?
This part of a tire, often examined for unique wear patterns, includes ribs, grooves, and tread blocks that can link a vehicle to a crime scene.
What is the tread?
This principle guides forensic scientists to always handle trace evidence in a way that preserves its integrity for analysis in the lab.
What is proper evidence collection and preservation?
This microscope is commonly used to compare fibers by viewing two samples side-by-side.
What is a comparison microscope?
This forensic method compares specific regions of DNA to determine if two samples came from the same individual.
What is DNA profiling?
The scientific study of pollen and spores in both modern and ancient contexts, sometimes used in forensics, is called this.
What is palynology?
When a forensic dentist analyzes tooth wear and alignment to determine habits or occupation, this is being studied.
What is dental profiling?