Police are using ancestry sites to track down more cold case suspects

In April, California investigators arrested Joseph James DeAngelo for some of the crimes committed by the elusive Golden State Killer (GSK), a man who is believed to have raped over 50 women and murdered at least 12 people between 1978 and 1986. Inve...

New York City ordered to share code for DNA evidence software

Many attempts to open up access to software in the justice system have fallen flat. Advocates in New York, however, have just scored a significant victory. A federal judge has publicly unsealed the source code for DNA analysis software previously u...

Recommended Reading: Rebooting a hero in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Is One of the Best Superhero Movies in Years Christopher Orr, The Atlantic Well folks, the time has come. The team-up between Sony and Marvel for the third different take on Spider-Man debuted this week. So far, the review...

Police could soon identify you by your hair proteins

Police and archaeologists regularly depend on DNA evidence for identification, but it has a serious flaw. DNA degrades under environmental conditions like heat and light, so it may be useless even if you have a ton of samples. However, Lawrence Live...

Police could soon identify you by your hair proteins

Police and archaeologists regularly depend on DNA evidence for identification, but it has a serious flaw. DNA degrades under environmental conditions like heat and light, so it may be useless even if you have a ton of samples. However, Lawrence Live...

NEC shows 2014-era portable DNA analyzer that could outpace your favorite crime drama

NEC shows 2014era portable DNA analyzer that finishes faster than most crime dramas

NEC gave us promises of truly on-the-spot forensics when it unveiled its first portable DNA analyzer back in 2007, although the reality hasn't been quite in line with the dream: its current system takes an hour to get a result and won't win any awards for sleekness. From what we're seeing of a next-generation analyzer due in 2014, those expectations are more likely to be met. The new version puts the full DNA extraction, amplification and separation processes on a newer chip that meets NEC's original goal of producing output in 25 minutes -- faster than a short cop drama, if you include the commercial breaks. Few beyond the police will be casually tossing the analyzer around given its 70.5-pound weight and $120,000 price, but a much slicker design at least gives it the profile of a small, rolling suitcase. The upgrade could be vital for identifying suspects and victims in record time; if our only worry is that NEC takes all the mystery out of our favorite TV shows, we'll be more than satisfied.

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Via: PCWorld

Source: NEC (PDF)

MIT thaumaturges work to turn any windowed room into a camera obscura

MIT thaumaturges work to turn any windowed room into a camera obscura

Those interested in criminology, forensics or the basics of voyeurism probably have a decent grasp on what a camera obscura is. For everyone else in the audience, allow us to explain. Used since way before your birth, these chambers are designed with an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen; you just need a room with a hole in one side, which allows a fine amount of light to pass through. If you've ever watched [insert crime drama here], you've probably seen those magical investigators take a blurred shot of a room wall, zoom it in and somehow draw conclusions about the origins of life. Now, MIT's own Antonio Torralba and William Freeman have developed a method that can "transform the entire setting into a pinhole camera." In other words, any room with a window can be repurposed for forensics. On that note, you should probably consider moving your... operations center to a windowless bunker, STAT.

MIT thaumaturges work to turn any windowed room into a camera obscura originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 03:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNew Scientist  | Email this | Comments

RIM patent application shines a light on unseen filth, might make forensics mobile

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CSI: Waterloo? We're not sure how compelling that spin-off would be (inexplicable popularity of the David Caruso-headlined Miami version aside). So, you'll excuse us for scratching our collective tech head over this recently surfaced patent application filed by RIM in November of 2010. The claims of this bizarre USPTO doc describe an apparatus containing some form of a "display element" attached to a portable electronic device that would generate light on nearby objects, snap photographs and then display results indicating potential contamination. Sounds a lot like those UV wands forensics researchers use on crime scenes, non? Well, whatever it is Heins and co. may have brewing in their Canadian R&D labs, we just pray this isn't BB 10's killer feature. Hit up the source below to peruse the legalese for yourself.

RIM patent application shines a light on unseen filth, might make forensics mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 17:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceUSPTO  | Email this | Comments