FS Final Review (given)

What is the primary forensic science professional organization?

AAFS: American Academy of Forensic Science

What types of “pseudoscientific” or poor forensic science techniques should no longer be used today?

Bite Mark Analysis, Hair Analysis (when used for identifying one individual based on phenotype), Shaken Baby Syndrome Analysis, Cranial Sutures

What is the ABO blood system?

The absence/presence of antigen A or antigen B on RBCs

What 4 types of blood types?

A, B, AB, O

What is the rhesus system?

Positive or negative, “Polymorphism of the RHD gene”

What are the limitations of the ABO blood system for forensic purposes?

Can’t point to one individual - can exclude some suspects if they don’t match (Let me know if either of you think of somethin better- this is a guess)

What is serology?

Range of lab tests to detect, classify, and study bodily fluids

What are three types of blood stain patterns and what causes each?

Transfer: Smears or blood transferred from one surface to another

Passive: Pools, drops, flow

Projected/spatter: Caused by a projection of blood caused by impact

What causes blood spatter/low vs. high force produces what?

Low force: Largest in size

Medium force: Smaller patterns than passive patterns from blunt/sharp force trauma

High force: Mist-like patterns, smallest

Court precedents – State v. Goode, Holmes v. State

Goode: NC supreme court said “Bloodstain Pattern Analysis is admissible as expert testimony”

Holmes: Texas said “A detective who attends a 1 week long Bloodstain Pattern Analysis workshop is good enough to testify as an expert witness”

Which state has an accreditation requirement?

Texas

What is DNA profiling?

Approach used by forensic scientists to distinguish between individuals of the same species based on their DNA

Who invented DNA fingerprinting?

Sir Alec Jeffreys

Who was the first conviction using DNA?

Colin Pitchfork

(everyone in the city had to submit a DNA sample, he got his friend to turn in one for him)

What is amelogenin? How is it useful?

Sex-typing gene used in STR typing, can help distinguish between XX (females, has 1 peak) and XY (males, has 2 peaks)

Traditional DNA testing requires a reference – know what kind for each

Forensic: Crime scene evidence compared to a suspect

Parentage: Child compared to alleged father

Mass Disaster: Victims remains compared to biological relative

Armed Forces: Soldier's remains compared to DNA dog tag

What can DNA phenotyping tell us?

Predicts genetics ancestry, eye/hair/skin color, freckles, and face shape

Investigative Genetic Genealogy uses what kind of data base?

Genetic genealogy databases

What makes up the biological profile?

Sex, Age, Stature, Ancestry

What is the best bone/aspect of the skeleton for estimating sex?

Pelvis

Why are aging methods more accurate for subadults?

The part in tooth development that the remains are at can give an estimate between a few months or a year apart, this can’t be used once the teeth are done growing

Why is stature estimation not as important as other parts of the bio profile?

Stature varies a LOT, is only really helpful for very tall or very short individuals

What is the most difficult part of the bio profile to estimate?

Ancestry estimation (due to variation and admixture)

What are loops, arches, and whorls?

The 3 main classes of fingerprints (you better know what these look like or ELSE)

What is ACE-V?

__A__nalysis, __C__omparison, __E__valuation, __V__erification

What is AFIS?

Automated Fingerprint Identification System (fingerprint database)

Three types of fingerprints

Patent: Transferred from a liquid (blood) to a different surface

Plastic: Impression- found in something malleable

Latent: Invisible to the naked eye (ew put some clothes on)

Who is Brandon Mayfield?

Lawyer who was accused of the Madrid Train Bombings- had two false identifications (fingerprints)

What is evidence?

Any type of physical evidence, documents, or testimony

Search warrant vs. arrest warrant

Search warrant: Probable cause that a judge agreed upon and issued a warrant for a search

Arrest warrant: Sufficient cause that a person has committed a crime and can be arrested

4th amendment & exceptions

4th amendment: Right against unreasonable search and seizures

Exceptions: Consent searches, after an arrest, plain view, if you run

Frye standard

General acceptance by scientific community

Federal Rules of Evidence

A witness who is qualified as an expert can testify their opinion

Daubert standard

Reliable and reproducible

Expert witness testimony

Opinion, NO absolute certainty