LIsa Black
Cape Coral, FL
Female, 49
I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.
Not that I know of.
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That depends entirely on the circumstances. If a sample of anything--blood, saliva, semen--is properly dried and kept in relatively dry conditions at a steady low temperature, or even frozen, it can last for decades. If the temperature and humidity vary greatly, then the sample could break down. If it's stored in plastic or airtight when wet it could rot and decompose.
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Every group of people looks for reasons to feel superior to any other group of people. It's (a not very attractive part of) human nature. But in my experience interagency rivalries have been super mild. It's more a trope of fiction than reality.
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I work in a police department, so yes, work with them every day.Though my immediate coworkers and immediate supervisor are all civilians.
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That’s a good question…I know that the human body will either decompose or desiccate, so if the conditions were right and she dried out instead of breaking down, then the body might be largely preserved. But what could be determined from an autopsy would be a question for a pathologist, I’m afraid. Sorry I’m not more help.
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Wow, that’s a tough question—I can think of projects and experiments, but research....and what ages? I can ask my coworkers for suggestions.
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They didn’t have forensics degrees when I went to school, so learned all the forensic tasks were on the job or continuing education courses. But the science background helps with understanding lab procedures, preparing reagents, and of course explaining what’s going on during the various processes.
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