Ask a Forensic Scientist anything

989 Questions

Last Answer on July 21, 2022

I hear there is a lot of politics in police work is this true and why?

Asked by Bobbi sue over 5 years ago

Before I worked in forensics, I was a personnel secretary, a hotel maid, and an ice cream counter server and a gas station 'full service specialist'. My husband is an elevator field engineer. There is 'politics' in every profession. Every. Single. One.

Best of luck!

335 Votes

What majors and minors do you recommend someone interested in forensics to take? Should I major in forensics or something else? And how can one determine which area of forensics they would like to go into?

Asked by Serena about 5 years ago

Titles and job requirements aren't uniform, so the only way to know is to call the crime labs in your area or whereever you might be interested in working and ask them. At the coroner's office we had to have at least a bachelor's in a natural science (this was before they had forensic science majors). At the police department where I am now, they only require a high school diploma but you get more points in the interviewing process for having a four year degree, so we all have one. You can also go on the websites for professional organizations such as the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and check out their job vacancy postings and see what the various positions require. As for determining which area, I would suggest you visit crime labs in the area to see what they do and talk to the people working there. Good luck!

335 Votes

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How would you determine if the dye on two pieces of thread are the same? Would you use Ramen Spectroscopy?

Asked by Mike about 5 years ago

That's an excellent question that unfortunately I can't answer. One probably would use it, but back when I did hairs and fibers it was generally thought that the only way was to extract the dye and do thin-layer chromatography, which we didn't have. We also didn't have a Ramen, so all I could do was microscopic comparison.

Best of luck!

334 Votes

What's the best way to highlight and uncover gloveprints left by Nitrile gloves from a surface?

Asked by Richard over 5 years ago

Usually simple black powder will show gloveprints as well as fingerprints. The bubbly sort of pattern they make will be visible.

334 Votes

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Can a fallen fake finger nail show bite mark?

Asked by Aj about 5 years ago

I don't see why not, it's rigid and would hold a shape. It's a very small item and somewhat brittle, though. I would think it would be tough to bite all the way through one. You'd probably be better off swabbing it for DNA of the biter.

334 Votes