Forensics

[Dave]

There is a prog on BBC World Service about food and solving crime. Fascination!

From the stoumach contents of totally unidentified boy's body, he was brought into the UK illegally and was thus in no records, yielded much. But the surprising thing for me was the mix of pollen grains thst he had breathed in. They did not say so but I presume these stuck to the saliva covered mouth/throat surfaces and were subsequently taken into the digestive system. There were also carbon fragments that were identified to a specific kind of calabash, unique to one culture and the isotopic ratios in his teeth identified which part of the world he had drunk water from as they were growing.This enabled them to pin down the area, in London, where he had been held and the cultural influences of those that held him. (I was typing as I listened and I listen faster than I type - hope I got it all correct!)

In another case a getaway driver was identified from the bit of burger bun he threw out of the car window,  there was enough of his DNA on that fragment to prove his presence.

The final item was not directly food related, it involved a presenter's dirty t-shirt. This was reduced to gases which were passed through a gas-chromatograph. Anongst compounds in the sweat they also found out he had been using a "rip-off" version of a big name deoderant found commonly on market stalls. They idea is to compile a "chemical identity", like a chemical fingerprint.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p051zl4h

Or

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p028z2z0/episodes/downloads

Another glimpse into a fascinating area of science.

[Dave]

Finger trouble again!

[Claireliontamer]

If you're fascinated by forensics there is an excellent book by Val McDermid (amazon).

[Dave]

If you're fascinated by forensics there is an excellent book by Val McDermid (amazon).

Thanks, Claire, will look it up when I have eaten my double chocolate sundae - plain evidence that I am taking a holiday from my diet!

[Dave]

If you're fascinated by forensics there is an excellent book by Val McDermid (amazon).

Ordered her factual book rather than the fictional. I find the actual science the main part of my fascination, and the logic of the links made. A bit like archaeology, requires the same sort of observational and analytical skills and similar scientific techniques. SOCO/CSI are obviously close in basic needs.

A retired archaeologist friend now assists the local police - even though it means things like standing in a freezing stream, up to her armpits, to excavate a skeleton from the bank! The water was too deep for chest waders, they would have filled and been a hazard! The skelly was in danger of being washed out completely.

[Claireliontamer]

If you're fascinated by forensics there is an excellent book by Val McDermid (amazon).

Ordered her factual book rather than the fictional. I find the actual science the main part of my fascination, and the logic of the links made. A bit like archaeology, requires the same sort of observational and analytical skills and similar scientific techniques. SOCO/CSI are obviously close in basic needs.

A retired archaeologist friend now assists the local police - even though it means things like standing in a freezing stream, up to her armpits, to excavate a skeleton from the bank! The water was too deep for chest waders, they would have filled and been a hazard! The skelly was in danger of being washed out completely.

Yes it was her factual book I was referring to.  However as she's also a bestselling fictional author it is incredibly well written.  I hope you enjoy it.