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Without a
Trace?
Advances
in Detecting Trace Evidence
Shards
of glass are found at the scene of a
hit and run. It’s the same type of
glass used to make most standard
headlights. A single hair might belong
to a missing woman, but it is coated
with conditioner, making microscopic
analysis impossible. Investigators at
the site of a plane crash search for
minute quantities of explosives in the
wreckage.
Connecting a person or object to a
specific crime scene is often
essential to proving guilt or
innocence. Developing such a link is
frequently based on identifying and
comparing trace evidence. Because
trace evidence samples can look
similar and the environments where
they are found are often complex,
identifying unique characteristics and
establishing a link can be difficult.
Older techniques often cannot
distinguish such evidence due to these
challenges.
New
technologies for trace evidence may
help eliminate many of these
obstacles, allowing more trace
evidence to be found and identified.
Here are four of the most promising
new techniques. (Read
more...)
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