Forensics

Forensics or forensic science is investigation and gathering of evidence of crime. However, forensics does not always deal with crimes; for example the journeys taken by the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo were verified with forensic palynology.

Sherlock Holmes, the fictional character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was, in fact, the inspiration for forensic science. The popular television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation depicts a glamorized version of the activities of forensic scientists.

Specialities in forensics include:

• Canine forensics[?]
• Computer forensics[?]
• Textile forensics[?]
• Forensic entomology
• Forensic palynology
• Forensic engineering
• Forensic accounting[?]
• Questioned Document Examination[?]

Further Reading

• Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers Michael Baden, M.D., Former New York City Medical Examiner, and Marion Roach, Simon & Schuster, 2001, ISBN 0-684-86758-3
• Crime Science: Methods of Forensic Detection Joe Nickell and John F. Fischer, University Press of Kentucky, 1999, ISBN 0813120918.