Forensic
Sciences BY: AARUSHI SHAH
Depicted throughout many modern entertainment forms, forensic scientists are crucial to keeping our communities safe. While the job may not be as dramatic as it is portrayed in media works, it definitely is as intense and requires an immense amount of hard work. Individuals working this field apply science and criminal laws during crime scene investigations. Forensic scientists use information from physics, chemistry, and biology to analyze physical evidence, interpret data, and report their findings. Without forensic scientists, it would be much easier for many to get away with committing crimes. What are forensic sciences? Being a huge part of criminal justice, forensic sciences use science to prove or refute speculations relating to physical evidence found at a crime scene. They can be used to link the evidence to an offense. By providing evidence-based facts, it has become an important part of many convictions. The testimony of forensic scientists is a reliable part of many trials, civil and criminal alike. As forensic science is a broad field, it is divided into three major groups, which are then broken down into more specific divisions. The three main divisions include forensic pathologists, forensic scientists, and associated scientists. Forensic pathologists include medical examiners or professionals who supervise autopsies and any evidence related to biology. Forensic scientists are forensic professionals who run tests and analyze physical evidence. Lastly, associated scientists include scientists who use their knowledge of botany, odontology, anthropology, etc., to provide insight on more specific parts of the evidence, such as bite marks or insect infestations. More specific groups of forensics include forensic DNA analysis, trace evidence analysis, forensic toxicology, forensic psychology, and digital forensics.
STEMATIX MagazineÂ
â—? Forensic Sciences
16
