All articles tagged with #forensics
Two identical 33-year-old twins are among five defendants on trial near Paris for a 2020 double murder and subsequent attacks. The DNA on an assault rifle cannot distinguish which twin fired, forcing investigators to rely on phone records, surveillance footage and other evidence while the crucial shooter remains unidentified, with a verdict expected in late February.
Capt. 'L', a dentist in IDF Unit 6017, discusses positively identifying St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili in northern Gaza after exhuming about 250 bodies; the ID relied on two of three methods—fingerprints, dental work, or DNA—to confirm the remains, with ante-mortem dental records playing a key role. The operation Brave Heart required navigating danger in the field, and the notification of the ID sparked a moment of unity and relief across the nation as the unit announced the news.
A Virginia jury is deliberating Brendan Banfield’s fate in a 2023 double-murder case in which prosecutors say he plotted with his Brazilian au pair to kill his wife Christine Banfield and another man, Joseph Ryan, by luring Ryan to the home with fake online accounts and staging the scene; prosecutors allege Banfield stabbed Christine, shot Ryan, and framed Ryan, while the defense says the au pair fabricated the story and notes Banfield’s DNA was not found on the knife, with no corroborating digital evidence; Banfield testified in his defense and the jury’s verdict is pending closing arguments.
Forensic analysis concluded the unknown liquid sprayed at Rep. Ilhan Omar during a north Minneapolis town hall was likely apple cider vinegar; the attacker, 55-year-old Anthony J. Kazmierczak, was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault after lunging at Omar, who continued addressing the crowd. CNN corroborated the substance, and Kazmierczak has a history of posts ridiculing Omar's stance on defunding police. The incident occurred after a Trump rally and did not stop Omar's participation in the event.
An AI model trained on 60,000 fingerprint images detects cross-finger similarities, revealing that structural patterns can recur across fingers (and even across hands). The findings, published in Science Advances (2024), could speed investigative lead generation but are not courtroom-ready and require broader validation across diverse datasets and demographics.
Irish scientists have developed a novel electrochemical method to recover fingerprints from fired brass bullet casings, even after exposure to high heat, potentially revolutionizing forensic investigations by linking suspects to crime scenes more effectively.
Irish scientists have developed a novel electrochemical technique that can recover fingerprints from fired brass ammunition casings even after exposure to extreme heat, potentially revolutionizing forensic investigations by enabling fingerprint retrieval from previously considered impossible samples.
Law enforcement officials are reporting that iPhones stored for forensic examination are mysteriously rebooting, making them harder to unlock. A document from Detroit suggests this may be due to a new iOS 18 security feature that causes iPhones to reboot when disconnected from a cellular network for a period. This reboot increases the phone's security against password-cracking tools. Apple has not confirmed if such a feature exists.
On the 28th day of Chad Daybell's trial, forensics analyst Dr. Greg Hampikian and DNA expert testified about DNA evidence, including samples found on an ax and shovel linked to Tylee Ryan. The court also discussed the admissibility of certain testimonies and the potential recall of witnesses, including law enforcement officers involved in the case. The trial continues with further examination of digital and DNA evidence.
Scientists at the University of Bath have developed a forensics spray using a fluorescent protein found in jellyfish to detect fingerprints in seconds. The dye spray, which is water soluble and has low toxicity, enables rapid visualization of fingerprints at crime scenes and can even be used on week-old prints. The spray, made of two different colored dyes, binds selectively with the molecules in fingerprints, emitting a fluorescent glow that can be seen under blue light. This biologically compatible spray, based on a fluorescent protein found in jellyfish, does not interfere with subsequent DNA analysis of the fingerprints and is less messy than traditional powders. The team is collaborating with scientists from Shanghai Normal University to further improve the technology and make the dyes available for sale.
A study published in Nature Microbiology reveals that the microbiome of decomposing human corpses contains a consistent profile of around 20 key decomposers, regardless of location, climate, or season. These microbes, a mix of bacteria and fungi, appear in a wave-like fashion during the 21-day decomposition period, and a machine learning model using their abundances can calculate the postmortem interval with high accuracy. The findings could aid forensic investigations, although further research is needed for real-world application, especially in scenarios such as buried or submerged bodies.
A study led by an undergraduate senior at Columbia University challenges the long-held belief that fingerprints are all unique, using an AI-based system to find similarities between fingerprints from different fingers of the same person. The study, published in Science Advances, suggests that traditional markers for fingerprint identification may not be as reliable as previously thought. While some experts believe the findings are not entirely new, the team behind the study is confident in the results and has open-sourced the AI code for others to check, emphasizing the potential impact of AI in discovering hidden features.
A breakthrough in fingerprint analysis by artificial intelligence has challenged the long-held belief that each fingerprint is unique, potentially leading to the solving of thousands of cold cases. The AI system identified similarities between apparently different fingerprints from the same person, which had eluded forensic analysis for decades. The findings, initially rejected by the forensics community, could lead to the revival of cold cases and the acquittal of innocent people. This research demonstrates the potential for AI-led scientific discovery and also has implications for computer fingerprint identification systems.
Researchers at Columbia University have trained an AI tool to identify fingerprints from different fingers belonging to the same person, challenging the belief that each fingerprint is completely unique. The AI tool claims to be able to identify whether prints from different fingers come from one person with 75-90% accuracy, focusing on the orientation of ridges rather than traditional minutiae. While the study has potential implications for biometrics and forensic science, more research is needed to develop the technology further and address questions about its reliability in criminal casework.
Recent AI research challenges the belief that all fingerprints are unique, as undergrad researchers at Columbia Engineering found that the angles and curvature at the center of fingerprints could be the same across an individual. Using a deep contrastive network and a US government database of 60,000 fingerprints, the team discovered that the network could identify if prints were from the same person with 77 percent accuracy, potentially aiding in solving cold cases and prioritizing leads in ambiguous situations. The results are set to be published in Science Advances on January 12.