forensic science exam 1

Gross

wrote about scientific principles in reference to forensic investigation

Bertillionage

"personal identification" system (outdated)

Parent stain

A bloodstain from which a satellite stain originated.

Impact spatter

A bloodstain pattern produced when an object makes forceful contact with a source of blood, projecting drops of blood outward from the source.

Arterial spray

A characteristic bloodstain pattern containing spurts that resulted from blood exiting under pressure from an arterial injury.

Gatekeeper

A judge who determines the applicability and validity of forensic evidence/ an expert witness.

Finished Sketch

A precise rendering of the crime scene, usually drawn to scale.

Rough Sketch

A sketch, drawn at the crime scene, that contains an accurate depiction of the dimensions of the scene and shows the location of all objects having a bearing on the case.

Document Examination

A specialized form of investigation that applies forensic chemistry, microscopy, light, and photography in making determinations about documents

Buccal swab

A swab of the inner portion of the cheek; cheek cells are usually collected to determine the DNA profile of an individual

Title Block

A table located in the bottom right-hand corner of a crime scene drawing that identifies, in an organized way, all of the necessary information that is not given on the drawing itself.

Biology/DNA

Analysis of body fluids and dried stains such as blood, semen, and saliva.

2nd Sin (width/length)

Angle of Impact formula

High velocity spatter

An impact spatter pattern created by a force traveling at 100 feet per second or faster and producing drops with diameters less than 1 millimeter.

Low velocity spatter

An impact spatter pattern created by a force traveling at 5 feet per second or less and producing drops with diameters greater than 3 millimeters.

Medium velocity spatter

An impact spatter pattern created by a force traveling at 5 to 25 feet per second and producing drops with diameters between 1 and 3 millimeters.

Physical evidence

Any object that can establish that a crime has been committed or can link a crime and its victim or its perpetrator.

Appendicular skeleton

Bones of the limbs

CODIS

Combined DNA Index System

Putrefaction

Decomposition of body tissues.

Locard's Exchange Principle

Every contact leaves a trace

First Instar

First-stage fly larvae that cannot penetrate skin and must subsist on liquid protein

Firearms

Guns and ammunition

Growth Plates

Human growth hormone causes bones to grow at these locations

IAFIS

Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System

Forensic pathologist

Medical doctor that primarily does autopsies and determines cause of death

NIBIN

National Integrated Ballistics Information Network

Axial skeleton

Portion of the skeletal system that consists of the skull, rib cage, and vertebral column

Second Instar

Second-stage fly larvae resulting from molting of first-star larvae that can penetrate skin by using proteolytic enzymes and the rasping action of their mouthparts

Forensic Odontology

Studying the remains of teeth and dental work for evidence to identify the victim or suspect

forensic science

The application of scientific knowledge to questions of civil and criminal law.

Forensic Anthropology

The branch of physical anthropology in which anthropological data, criteria, and techniques are used to determine the sex, age, genetic population, or parentage of skeletal or biological materials in questions of civil or criminal law

Algor mortis

The cooling of the body after death

Admissibility of Evidence

The legal requirements that must be met before a jury is allowed to see or hear evidence.

Livor mortis

The pooling of the blood in tissues after death resulting in a reddish color to the skin

Expirated

The presence of bubbles of oxygen in the drops can differentiate _____ blood from other types of bloodstains.

Skeletonization

The process by which the edges of a stain dry to the surface in a specific period of time (dependent on environmental and surface conditions); skeletonization remains apparent even after the rest of the bloodstain has been disturbed from its original position.

Forensic Entomology

The study of insects and their relation to a criminal investigation

Forensic Psychiatry

a branch of psychiatry having to do with the study of crime and criminality

Flow pattern

a change in the shape and direction of a bloodstain due to the influence of gravity or movement of the object

Latent Fingerprints

a hidden fingerprint made visible through the use of powders or other techniques

Polygraph

a machine, commonly used in attempts to detect lies, that measures several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion (such as perspiration and cardiovascular and breathing changes).

Drip tail pattern

a pattern of bloodstains formed by the dripping of blood off a moving surface or person in a recognizable pathway separate from other patterns

Expert Witness

a person who is permitted to testify at a trial because of special knowledge or proficiency in a particular field that is relevant to the case.

Voiceprint

a set of measurable characteristics of a human voice that uniquely identifies an individual

Area of Convergence

a two-dimensional view of the intersection of lines formed by drawing a line through the main axis of at least two drops of blood that indicates the general area of the source of the blood spatter

Substrate Control

an unstained object adjacent to an area on which biological material has been deposited

Back Spatter

blood directed back toward the source of energy or force that caused the spatter

Misting

blood that has been reduced to a fine spray as a result of the energy or force applied to it

Forward Spatter

blood that travels in the same direction as the source of energy or force that caused the spatter

Ossification

bone development

Forensic Engineering

concerned with failure analysis, accident reconstruction, and causes and origins of fires or explosions

Galton

conducted fingerprint studies

Cast off spatter

created when a blood-covered object flings blood in an arc onto a nearby surface

Subpubic angle

degree of angle formed under the pubis symphysis

Lattes

developed a procedure to determine blood type from dried bloodstains

Osborn

developed the fundamental principles of document examination

Evidence Collection

dispatches specially trained personnel to the crime scene to collect and preserve physical evidence

Forensic Toxicology

examination of all aspects of toxicology (the study of drugs and poisons that may have legal implications)

Bertillion

father of criminal identification (anthropometry)

Orfila

father of forensic toxicology, developed poison detection

Ilium

hip bone

Serology

identifying blood & body fluids

Locard

incorporated Gross' principles within a workable crime laboratory, "every contact leaves a trace"

Suture

interlocking line of union between bones

McCrone

leading figure in microscopy

Mandible

lower jaw bone

Manner of death

one of four means by which someone dies (i.e., natural, accidental, suicidal, or homicidal)

Bone remodeling

ongoing replacement of old bone tissue by new bone tissue

Standard/Reference Sample

physical evidence whose origin is known, such as blood or hair from a suspect, that can be compared to crime-scene evidence

Void Pattern

place w/o blood spatter due to an object in the way

Individual characteristics

properties of evidence that can be attributed to a common source with an extremely high degree of certainty

Class Characteristics

properties of evidence that can only be associated with a group and never with a single source

Directionality

relates to the direction a drop of blood traveled in space from its point of origin

Securing the Scene

responsibility of the first-responding police officer (first responder)

Autolysis

self-destruction of cells; decomposition of all tissues by enzymes of their own formation without microbial assistance

Trace Evidence

small but measurable amounts of physical or biological material found at a crime scene

Satellite Spatter

small droplets of blood distributed around a drop or pool of blood as a result of the blood hitting the target surface

Rigor Mortis

stiffness of the body that sets in several hours after death

Entomology

study of insects

Autopsy/Pathology

study of tissues and organs removed from a dead human body

Angle of Impact

the acute angle formed between the direction of a blood drop and the plane of the surface it strikes

Sciatic notch

the angled edge of both halves of the posterior (rear) side of the pelvis; measurement of this angle is used to determine sex in human skeletons.

Chain of Custody

the documented and unbroken transfer of evidence

Autopsy

the examination of a corpse to determine the cause of death

First Responding Officer

the first police officer to arrive at a crime scene

Cause of death

the immediate reason for a person's death (such as heart attack, kidney failure)

Area of Origin

the location of a blood source viewed in three dimensions as determined by projecting angles of impact of individual bloodstains

Transfer Pattern

the pattern created when a wet, bloody object comes in contact with a target surface, leaving a pattern, that has the features of the object making it useful for identifying the object

Cranium

the portion of the skull that encloses the brain

Criminalistics

the scientific examination of physical evidence for legal purposes

Postmortem interval

the time elapsed since a person has died.

CSI effect

there isn't always a smoking gun or absolute evidence

Femur

thigh bone

Humerus

upper arm bone

Maxilla

upper jaw bone

Goddard

used a microscope to determine whether a gun shot a bullet