Ask a Forensic Scientist anything

989 Questions

Last Answer on July 21, 2022

What is the cost to a criminal defendant to have a print run through the FBI's AFIS system? Has that cost remained the same from 1999 through the present?

Asked by MsM about 4 years ago

I'm sorry but I have absolutely no idea. I didn't know there was a cost. I would have guessed that their attorney could request a court order to do so from the judge and the police agency that has the print would take care of it, but I really don't know. Sorry I can't be more help.

230 Votes

Was this election stolen from Trump?

Asked by asdfasdf over 4 years ago

What does that have to do with forensics?

229 Votes

So you wanna be a Forensic Scientist?

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What are the top 10 most fun/ interesting facts about your job?

Asked by Miki23 over 4 years ago

Wow, that’s a tough question! I’m not sure I could come up with ten.

229 Votes

how do finger[rints get on things, does our fingers leave fluids when we touch things, or we just leave a print on existing dust?

Asked by rekhab about 4 years ago

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you!

Yes, fingerprints are impressions made by the oil and sweat on our fingers. If a surface is very dusty, we take away dust on our fingers instead of leaving prints on the object. It will look like fingerprints should be there because there will be finger marks in the dust, but actually we just removed dust.

Hope that helps!

228 Votes

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Saying that they DID do what ever it is they are being accused of?

Asked by Mike almost 4 years ago

There have been a few cases in which I testified where the defendants were found not guilty, and I was fine with that. In some there simply wasn't sufficient evidence, in one it was clearly self-defense, in two the defendants were charged with murder and I figured it should have been manslaughter. But that's why we have a jury system, and they did a good job.

226 Votes

Also, is it possible to specifically detect that the DNA is from saliva and nothing else?

Asked by AJ over 4 years ago

I don't believe so, but I haven't done DNA analysis in 20 years so I'm not the best person to ask. I know there's an amylase test for saliva, but I don't know if it's used any more. And if you have a mixture I doubt it would be possible to tell what DNA is from what bodily fluid.

226 Votes