By Sarah Rackley Edited by Dr. Maher Noureddine, forensic DNA expert Note: Where State Crime Lab policies and procedures are referenced, I have cited to the most recent version that I have access to. What it is: CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) is the FBI’s program that allows forensic DNA laboratories to create and search …
Practice Tips
Forensic Tests for Saliva: What you should know
By Maher Noureddine, Ph.D. First in the series: Bodily Fluids and Forensics You may encounter cases in which the prosecution claims that SBI tests establish the presence of human saliva on the victim as part of its proof that an assault occurred. This type of evidence is often seen in sexual assault cases. In cases …
Bodily Fluids and Forensics: Introduction to the Series
By Maher Noureddine, Ph.D. and Sarah Rackley The field of forensic investigation continues to reap tremendous benefits from advancements made in various scientific disciplines including physics, chemistry, biology and others. The detection and analysis of biological molecules have been at the forefront of this advancement, even to the level of revolutionizing forensics as we know …
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Touch DNA
Posted by Sarah Rackley Edited by Dr. Maher Noureddine, forensic DNA expert The SBI lab started analyzing “touch DNA” around 2006. Now that the lab is capable of analyzing this type of evidence, investigators are collecting it more often, and I am hearing about it coming up in more cases. So, what is touch DNA …