Forensics News and Research

Improving security with face recognition technology

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 00:00 MST

A number of US states now use facial recognition technology when issuing drivers licenses. Similar methods are also used to grant access to buildings and to verify the identities of international travelers. Historically, obtaining accurate results with this type of technology has been a time intensive activity. Now, a researcher from the University of Miami College of Engineering and his collaborators have developed ways to make the technology more efficient while improving accuracy.

Professor finds that iconic Oswald photo was not faked

Saturday, November 07, 2009 00:00 MST

Computer Scientist Hany Farid has new evidence regarding a photograph of accused JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Farid digitally analyzed the iconic image of Oswald pictured in a backyard setting holding a rifle in one hand and Marxist newspapers in the other, and he says the photo almost certainly was not altered.

Disappearing vowels 'caught' on tape in US midwest

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 00:00 MST

Try to pronounce the words "caught" and "cot." If you're a New Yorker by birth, the two words will sound as different as their spellings. But if you grew up in California, you probably pronounce them identically

Tracking down the human 'odorprint'

Friday, October 16, 2009 00:00 MST

Each of the 6.7 billion people on Earth has a signature body odor -- the chemical counterpart to fingerprints -- and scientists are tracking down those odiferous arches, loops, and whorls in the "human odorprint" for purposes ranging from disease diagnosis to crime prevention. That's the topic of an article in the current issue of Chemical and Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

Identifying ID theft and fraud

Thursday, October 15, 2009 00:00 MST

If the wife of FBI boss Robert Mueller has warned him not to use internet banking because of the threat of online fraud, then what hope is there for the average Joe? The results of research published in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics suggests that more of us are no longer entrusting our finances to virtual accounts.

Forensics firm builds on genomic discovery to advance DNA-based identification

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 00:00 MST

High-tech forensics firm, Casework Genetics, is applying new technology to forensic evidence enabling law enforcement labs to solve crimes with greater molecular precision and efficiency than ever before.

Radio waves 'see' through walls

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 00:00 MST

University of Utah engineers showed that a wireless network of radio transmitters can track people moving behind solid walls. The system could help police, firefighters and others nab intruders, and rescue hostages, fire victims and elderly people who fall in their homes. It also might help retail marketing and border control.

$2M in grants for bullet, duct tape forensic science

Monday, October 12, 2009 00:00 MST

Better evidence from bullets, duct tape and guns is the aim of three grants totaling over $2.2 million awarded to the UC Davis program in forensic science by the US Department of Justice.

Police sketch artist evolves

Wednesday, October 07, 2009 00:00 MST

Computer program uses interactive genetic algorithm to help witnesses remember criminals in police departments across Europe

New technology detects chemical weapons in seconds

Tuesday, October 06, 2009 00:00 MST

Scientists at Queen's University Belfast are developing new sensors to detect chemical agents and illegal drugs which will help in the fight against the threat of terrorist attacks.

The real world of a forensic scientist

Tuesday, October 06, 2009 00:00 MST

Renowned experts reveal what it takes to solve crimes

High-tech nuke detectors check Puget Sound small vessels for WMD

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 00:00 MST

More than 300 trained maritime law enforcement and first responder personnel from federal, state, local and tribal agencies participated in an operational maritime exercise in Puget Sound this week. Maritime law enforcement and first responders conducted non-intrusive small vessel radiological screenings at three Puget Sound security zones located at Admiralty Inlet, Bellingham Bay and North Skagit Bay.

Room's ambience fingerprinted by phone

Friday, September 25, 2009 00:00 MST

Your smart phone may soon be able to know not only that you're at the mall, but whether you're in the jewelry store or the shoe store.

Electronic nose sniffs out toxins

Monday, September 14, 2009 00:00 MST

Imagine a polka-dotted postage stamp-sized sensor that can sniff out some known poisonous gases and toxins and show the results simply by changing colors. Support for the development and application of this electronic nose comes from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Handwriting-based tool offers alternate lie detection method

Monday, August 31, 2009 00:00 MST

A handwriting lie detection tool may change the face of effective law enforcement.