MEDICAL BIOLOGY INTERACTIVE
Seminars & Tutorials For Health, Law & Education

Introduction
 

Forensic science (also sometimes referred to as forensics) involves the application of a wide spectrum of sciences in order to answer questions poised by the legal system. In criminal cases forensic scientists are often involved in the search for and examination of physical samples, which might be useful for establishing or excluding an association between someone suspected of committing a crime and the scene of the crime or victim.  In recent years, the contribution of forensic science to the criminal justice system has been increasingly important.

 

This exciting tutorial is intended to provide students with a broad introduction to issues and techniques in forensics. Students will consider procedures such as post-mortem and blood pattern analysis, factors affecting rates of decomposition and determining the time of death, through to important technologies such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) profiling, a method which has a discriminating power of one in 50 million. This technique was integral to establishing the British DNA Database, the largest of its kind in the world, which presently contains 4.5 million samples taken during criminal enquiries. In this fascinating tutorial, students will also address some of the many subdivisions of forensic science, including digital forensics, forensic DNA analysis, forensic entomology, forensic pathology, forensic psychology, forensic archaeology and forensic toxicology.
 

Which Students Will Benefit?

 

This tutorial is designed primarily for able A-level biology and chemistry students, but will also be useful to:
 

• any AS/A2 students with an interest in forensics

• any students considering a university degree and/or career in the following subjects:
  Forensic Science          Medicine

       Biology                      Psychology

       Law                           Neuroscience

The material presented during this tutorial is intended to  complement and develop upon topics and issues encountered at AS and A2 level.

Aims of The Tutorial

 

There are two main aims to this tutorial:
 

• to provide the student with an introduction to issues, debates and principles in forensic science.

 

• to consider some of the methods and techniques used by forensic scientists, from fingerprinting to post-mortem examination to advanced DNA profiling.