LIsa Black
Cape Coral, FL
Female, 49
I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.
The job requirements are whatever the hiring agency says they are, so it could be anything from a high school diploma to a PhD in genetics. The only way to know is to call the department or check their website for job vacancies.
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If you want to be a DNA analyst you may need a Masters or PhD in genetics, depending on the requirements of the agency or facility. Check vacancy postings at professional organizations, such as https://webdata.aafs.org/public/jobs/postings.aspx and https://www.theiai.org/job_listings.php.
Best of luck!
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Possibly, I suppose. If they were swabbed thoroughly and the swabs picked up a few skin cells, then it would be within the realm of possibility.
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That's an awfully broad question. What do you think are the physical and chemical properties? Blood has hemoglobin. Hair grows out of your head. Footprints are impressions in the dirt. I'm pretty sure you could write a good answer to this question yourself.
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Day Care Provider
Do the kids ever reveal embarrassing things about their parents?
Dating Website Employee
What are the most common mistakes guys make on out their profiles?
Call Center Employee (Retail)
When do your policies allow you to hang up on a rude caller?
Almost certainly, no. Unlike television, real forensic equipment is designed to test for certain things. For example the mass spectrometer in the toxicology department is set to test for illegal narcotics and not heavy metals such as arsenic. If arsenic is suspected, it could be detected with a different instrument or different parameters programmed into the same instrument. So I doubt there is any equipment that could be set up to detect microscopic amounts of photographic chemicals, if a photo would even shed any.
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As far as I know, water doesn’t change the process of rigor mortis. The temperature of the water may speed it up or slow it down, but the process would still occur.
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I used to analyze dried paint with an FTIR, which I believe would detect lead, but as to what would be better I really don’t know. Sorry I can’t be more help.
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