Being a Witness/Memory and Attention
Is testimonial evidence the best evidence you can get?
No
What did early cave artists and pot makers do to sign their work?
Fingerprints
What is the goal of crime scene processing?
To collect the evidence in as a pristine condition as possible
What are some of the most common ways of getting a DNA sample?
Blood, hair, saliva
In courtrooms do minor memory distortions matter?
Yes
Did a Roman gladiator physician dissect people and animals to search for the causes of disease?
Yes
What can cause issues with crime scene data collection out on the field?
The destruction or movement of materials on the scene
What test can create millions of copies of a small segments of DNA?
PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction
What is the difference between a “fact” witness and an “expert” witness?
Facts describe only factual knowledge that has to do with the case, experts share what their beliefs are based off of the factual knowledge and what connects to it
What country in Asia was one of the first countries to use legal forensic science, based off of an ancient book that was found?
China
Book written by Song Ci in 1248
What does securing the crime scene look like?
Caution tape, removing all unnecessary personnel, making a plan, recording everything
What would cause DNA evidence to be unreliable?
When it is contaminated