Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Forensic Entomology



Forensic Science and Insects
            Today, I was struggling to find a forensic topic to blog about but finally I found this one very intriguing and it is called Forensic entomology. According to my online source: "entomology is the study of insects and their life cycles" (Lerner and Wilmoth 1). So with the help of insects, the forensic scientists can estimate, not completely accurate, but approximate the time frame of when a victim has been killed. The insects can also shed light upon the nature of injuries, whether it has been post-mortem ante-mortem. Forensic scientists can also determine if the body was moved and if drugs were involved (Lerner and Wilmoth 1). The blog today will not factor in exposure of any weather.
Timeline of Corpses
            When a corpse is discovered and the police and crime scene investigators are called in, the forensic scientists must determine the time of death or give an estimate. Some key indicators of the time of death are the types of insects on the corpse. Lerner and Wilmoth describe the process by:

A newly deceased corpse attracts flies. Within minutes of a death, blowflies will start to lay their eggs in moist areas such as the nose, mouth, armpit, groin, or open wounds. The eggs hatch into larvae or maggots within 24 hours and these grow to around half an inch in length after about three days. Then, over the next six to ten days, they will develop into pupae with a hard outer case. Adult flies emerge about twelve days after this. If the corpse is not recovered by this time, the life cycle repeats itself so that flies at all different stages of development may be recovered from the corpse (1).

The insects aren't completely accurate but the insect's life cycle can be seen described as a kind of clock (Lerner and Wilmoth 1). If eggs are discovered on the corpse, it suggests that the victim died within 24 hours. Lerner and Wilmoth state:

The presence of maggots indicates the death occurred less than ten days ago. Pupae and mature flies will suggest a time of death one to three weeks before discovery of the corpse. However, the life cycle of flies is not an accurate clock. Flies are cold-blooded and their activities are dictated by the weather. Maggots may become dormant if it is cold and flies do not lay eggs at night. If someone is killed at midnight, flies will not appear till daylight, which means time must be added to the estimated time of death (1).

With the growing insects on the corpses, forensic scientists have discovered a pattern to discoverer and better estimate the times of death of each victim.
Conclusion
            Insects bring another type of forensics to the police force and help determine time of death and location of death with analysis on the types of insects. The insects on the body can determine whether the body was moved. Sometimes insects on the body are not native to the area which portray a move in location. With the addition of forensic entomology, it makes it easier for the police force to fight crime and bring justice to the ones who wrong others.
Works Cited
"Entomology." World of Forensic Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Science In Context. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

Computer Forensic Science



Computer Forensic Science
            I have been researching forensic science since our first day of blogging and I've never realized forensic science and it's uses in the cyber world. It is in any way or form of criminal activity on the internet for example but not limited to, hacking or phishing. According to Kharb, Rai, and Tomar:

Computer forensic is a science of acquiring, preserving, retrieving and presenting data that has been processed electronically and stored on computer media and according to Department Of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),computer forensic includes formalized and approved methodology to collect, analyze and present data in a court of law [2].

Unlike the other forensic specialties I have blogged about, these computer forensic scientists unfortunately don't get outside on the field often. So the forensic scientists can actually use the data they analyze for not just criminal justice, but also civil proceedings such as lawsuits in court.
Why Computer Forensic Science?
            It's simple, there are threats online just as there are in real life. They might not be as life threatening as a murderer ending one's life, but it is life threatening in a sense that one can steal your identity or all of your financial savings. Kharb, Rai, and Tomar emphasize the use stating:

Computer forensic is needed due to the complex nature of electronic media. Traditional forensic science technique will not work in recovering and compiling computer based evidence. There is tremendous amount of fraud being committed using computers. Everyday thousands of computer users are bombarded with tons of bogus email. There is always someone on the internet typing to find a new victim to commit a crime against. There are fake websites, phony on line auctions, credit card fraud and a host of other crimes. The percentage of fraud is going up and people are losing thousands of dollars to cyber thieves.

Huge companies put their stock data or sensitive information like payroll and new project plans up on computers. Although these companies may have the best network security, there are people who are willing to work day and night to break through that security to steal this sensitive information (Kharb, Rai, and Tomar 1). We need the use of computer forensics to stop these criminal events of theft, blackmail, and so on to save the "cyber society".
Techniques of Computer Forensic Science
            The few forensic techniques that I want to talk about are over emails, internet, and password cracking. Company used computers or networks can be analyzed for data sent and received for misconduct of the companies' policies (Kharb, Rai, and Tomar 1). Computer forensics can also find data that has been dumped from the computer memory in past work sessions. With the internet, not everything online is secure or completely private and can be easily obtained. Kharb, Rai, and Tomar state:

Even after data has been deleted, much information remains available for discovery of the Windows swap file. Windows swap files are dynamically created during the web session & then erased. These same files are then left behind as a large erased file in unallocated spaces. Unless specifically defragmented and written over, these erased swap files can be retrieved and archived for analysis.

The last technique is password cracking and computer forensic scientists use programs to decipher encrypted code and create numerous possible passwords to penetrate files.
Conclusion
            There are many different types of crimes in the world and with our world evolving and technology always growing, comes the growth of cyber crimes. Thus the need for Computer forensic scientists to keep order within the "cyber world".

Works Cited
Kharb, Latika, Balwant Rai, and Pradeep Tomar. "New vision of computer forensic science: need of cyber crime law." The Internet Journal of Law, Healthcare and Ethics 3 May 2007. Science In Context. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Forensic Anthropology



            In the times of crime scene investigations, victims can be killed and their remains could be found unrecognizable, luckily, forensic scientists can identify the individual and help solve the case. In reference to the show Dexter, Dexter had always identified all of the victims alive or dead and he so happened to be the forensic scientist. In the show, Dexter seems to be skilled in all forensic sciences and in this blog I wanted to talk about forensic anthropology; the science of identifying the deceased. No matter the damage to the body, whether it be decomposed, burned, mutilated or anything to make the body unrecognizable, the forensic anthropologist has techniques to discover the person's identity.
            The services of a forensic anthropologist are needed when highly decomposed or charred human remains are found to the point where one is unrecognizable. Lerner and Wilmoth emphasize forensic anthropologists stating, "forensic anthropologist are requested [...]when difficulty in gathering physical evidence is experienced, or when the identification of the victim or the cause of death is not apparent" (1). Forensic anthropologists study osteology , in which the scientist specializes in the skeleton of a human. With the basic steps of osteology analysis, the scientist goes through the age, stature, ancestry, and sex of the skeletal remains. According to Lerner and Wilmoth, "a series of physical changes and interactions with soil bacteria, insects, and animals takes place when humans are buried, especially in mass graves" (1).  The anthropologist analyzes and remaining hair, bone, and soft tissue to determine gender, race, approximate time of death, and often the cause of death. The methods of analysis usually involve archeological techniques, soil analysis, identification of buried debris, recognition of buried marks of hands or footwear, and animal evidence (Lerner and Wilmoth 1). Forensic anthropologists are often consulted for "cold case" investigations when human remains are unexpectedly found. The anthropological gathering of evidence will take at least a full day, and when the remains are buried, two days. Only after this phase is completed can the remains be removed from the site. This conduction of evidence gathering is a different procedure than usual protocol which is not familiar to most crime scene investigators, thus the use of forensic anthropologists.
            Forensic science is a broad spectrum of crime scene investigation sciences and there are many specialties. While one is not more important than the other, they are all very essential  to criminal justice and finding the truth to the crime scene. The forensic anthropologist not only gives relevant physical evidence, but contextual information that can lead to the end of the case. In the end, forensic scientists are vital to every crime scene investigation, and there is always a specialty for each scenario.
Works Cited
"Crime scene investigation." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Science In Context. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.

DNA Profiling

            There are many different ways to classify criminals and capture identities, but the classification I wanted to learn about today was DNA profiling. DNA Profiling seemed the most interesting and the science behind it is incredible. Blueprints are the foundation and making of buildings, which is similar to DNA and our foundation. DNA is essentially the blueprint of our life. Forensic scientists can identify criminals in crimes and check for family relation in immigration or disputed paternity. DNA profiling is a technique that has advanced quite rapidly over the years and has helped forensic scientists better their work.
            Many people such as myself, do not know much about what DNA really is and how one can use it to identify a person's relation to the situation. According to Lerner and Wilmoth, "DNA is the material within every cell of the body and represents the blueprint of life. It allows physical traits to be passed on from one generation to the next"(1). The majority of the human genome is actually very similar to all ethnic populations, but there is a slight difference in each and everyone's genetic makeup. Thus the unique DNA pattern. Forensic scientists use DNA profiling to acquit suspects involved in serious crimes such as rape and murder and have used it to convict individuals of crimes years after the investigation has closed (Lerner and Wilmoth 1). Scientists used to require the size of ink in a pen of DNA to identify someone, over the last few decades we have advanced to identify someone with a touch of saliva. This technique of forensics has significantly improved solved crimes.
            When one acquires DNA from a suspect or whomever, it goes through a process called DNA typing. This process is where the DNA is extracted from a biological sample which is then analyzed through one of many different tests. The object of this process is to create a unique pattern to that individual so future samples can link this individual to the crime being investigated. The current analysis method is called STR (short tandem repeat)analysis, in which the samples are repeatedly analyzed in shorter sequences (Lerner and Wilmoth 1). Unfortunately, this method does have its drawbacks, if very little DNA is recovered, it can lead to incorrect conclusions due to lack of amplification to the small sample of DNA.
            Forensic science is a very unique science to study and investigate different interests relating to criminal activity or civil law, it doesn't cease to fascinate me with this technique. DNA profiling is not the only classification but in blood splatter analysis, it is a very simple and easy process. Every cell, tissue, or organ in a person's body contains the same DNA pattern, so the United States law enforcement and armed forces has developed databases to collect information related to an individual's DNA identity. This great technique not only helps with murder cases and family relations, but it also helps us identify missing people and the deceased.

Works Cited
"DNA profiling." World of Forensic Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Science In Context. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Plans for Success



            In school, at least in my experience, I have always been told to be prepared for the future and have a plan for my education, career, and life. I look back in my past and think of how blessed I was to have people telling me the right thing and positively influencing me. My high school career was decent at best but I knew I still had a chance during my junior year to make the best of my future. The feedback from my friends and family help me realize that I'm going through a great path in my life and I feel enamored by satisfaction. Throughout my school career  I've felt distraught at home with little support, but with the influence of education and the people I envelop myself around, I've developed a plan for the future and it makes me feel truly triumphant.
            As I started high school, I decided to take higher level courses to challenge myself despite the lack of prior guidance. I always had teachers talk about college in the future and how it was expected of all of us in class, I didn't feel as if college was forced upon me but it was heavily influenced. Other students would come in and tell me the importance of education and how it would help me in the future. Although the topic of college was running through my mind, my unsupportive family at home kept me from caring. I felt depressed at home with all of my family issues; parental separation, sibling drug use at home, and house foreclosure, and according to McCann, Lubman, and Clark, "being unsupportive, highlighted how, in the young people's view, lack of understanding, poor communication, criticism, family conflict, and coexisting mental illness in families compromised their ability to cope with their depression"(1). Eventually, I looked past my depression and felt that my situation was only going to get worse unless I put matters into my own hands. I decided that in my life I had to succeed and take care of all of the issues at home if things were to get better. Thus the start of my future goals and plans for my education and work.
            I moved into a smaller town house from my single family home and it was my adopted mother taking care of three boys in her home with me being the youngest. The eldest brother in the home was in between jobs and stole from the family to purchase drugs, while the other brother did absolutely nothing with his life. My mother's bills piled up and I decided to get a job at Best Buy during my junior year to help pay for bills. The coworkers I had always supported me and pointed out things I could do with my life. Most of the people I work with are prior military, that being said, I have always thought of military as an option. Throughout high school, I realized college and higher education was the path for me and planned to pay for it with my own money. To this date, I have never asked for money from anyone in the family to pay for any of my education needs while taking care of the two brothers and my mother. The support of my friends and coworkers relieved my stress at school and work, as McCann, Lubman, and Clark say, " other forms of coping [...] include social environments" (1). I am in my second semester of community college and I realized working at Best Buy will not be sufficient for four year colleges. This led to my plans for the Air Force for the benefits to pay for my future endeavors in school and take better care of my family.
            When I think about my past, I do not feel regret for any events that have happened but feel blessed that it made me the person I am today. Without the past problems at home, I wouldn't have wanted to plan so much for the future. I feel proud when I have friends or family asking me what I'm doing with my life because I know exactly what I want to do and how I'll reach my goals. In the end, having planned and thought over my future in high school, led to my current success as a student and will lead me through a bright future.

McCann, T. V., Lubman, D. I. and Clark, E. (2012), Views of young people with depression about family and significant other support: Interpretative phenomenological analysis study. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 21: 453–461. doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0349.2012.00812.x