Forensic Science in the News

The ABA law journal is reporting that the IP has sued the federal government’s National Museum of Health and Medicine for denying it access to archival information on the history of bite-mark analysis. A press release on the lawsuit is here, and coverage by the New York Law Journal is here. The material …

We know that determining a bite is from an adult or a child can be complex – especially when arch widths alone are used: Arch width changes from 6 weeks to 45 years of age And even the definition of “Adult” or “Child” with respect to dental development is complex …

This piece from the BBC furthers the concern among Europeans about the use of dental (and medical) information to age individuals in asylum or immigration cases.  While there is a clear need to be sure of an individual’s age – especially if they are to be placed in children’s settings – …

You can read the full story here from the Trib Live This case concerns a Tom David case – Kunco – which has long been recognised as an issue case that was bound to come around to appeal.  A UV photograph (remind you of Mike West?  Indeed Tom David said he received …

Original story in full at the Altoona Mirror – here. Defense attorneys for Paul Aaron Ross say there is no valid science linking a bite mark to a specific person, so when Ross’ murder case comes up for a retrial in Blair County court, that evidence should be excluded. At …

A long running case with flawed bitemark evidence at its heart has reached a new hurdle.  While the judge agreed that the BM evidence was poor, could not be used to link to a suspect and is this case was given inappropriate weight, she felt that, even with the bitemark excluded …

The head of the UK Supreme Court has recommended Jury primers for forensic science in a piece called “Stop needless dispute of science in the courts” published in Nature this week. We have described the use of the Jury primers before – they present a means of showing the trier …

Peter and Mary Bush, forensic scientists in the School of Dental Medicine, had much to celebrate during the past week. Their work — several studies that found the science behind bite-mark analysis unsound — helped lay the foundation for a landmark recommendation by the Texas Forensic Science Commission to ban …

Here is how the Houston Post described the findings from the Texas Forensic Science Commission. Why not listen to the NPR interview with Chris Fabricant on the impact of this finding here. There were bite marks on John Sweek’s arm when police found him stabbed to death on his kitchen …