Ask a Forensic Scientist anything

989 Questions

Last Answer on July 21, 2022

Why is blood type only determined by the A and B proteins? Aren't there other proteins on the blood? Why specifically these 2 proteins?

Asked by Adina about 12 years ago

The A and B's are antigens on the surface of the blood cells. There are other antigens (like Rh) but the A & B's are the most important. Why, I couldn't tell you.

1217 Votes

How difficult, or possible is it for a state lab to lift prints off a small baggie/residue found in an unattended purse,during a chaotic police raid, possibly handled by several, the prints needing to be good enough to be used as evidence in court?

Asked by pazley about 12 years ago

Wow, that's a really specific question. The answer is: you never know until you try. I don't have a lot of luck with plastic bags but my newer co-workers, who have a little more patience with fluorescent dyes than I do, often get good results. It doesn't matter to the fingerprint whether the purse was unattended or not and it doesn't matter how many people handled it, it matters how they handled it. As long as they picked it up by its very edge, they wouldn't harm anything. So it's perfectly possible to get a decent print off it, but I also would not be at all surprised if I didn't because, as I said, plastic bags are very hit-or-miss. Retrieving fingerprints is largely a matter of luck. That's why we never say never.

1210 Votes

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what causes bird foot injury to humans?

Asked by talha about 12 years ago

I'm sorry, I have absolutely no idea what that is.

1203 Votes

What type of factors make it particularly hard to determine the time of death?

Asked by Lee about 12 years ago

Well, time and a moist environment definitely don't help, but I'm afraid that's a question for a pathologist. Sorry I can't be more help.

1203 Votes

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Something really valuable got stolen from my hand bag . Is there a way that a forensic can be done for fingerprints so I can catch the culprit.

Asked by keshni about 12 years ago

See the first Q&A about fingerprints for more info, but purses (fabric, vinyl, leather) are not good surfaces for prints so you might be out of luck. Is there anything on or in the purse that they had to have touched (not just knuckled or pushed aside, actually gripped) that is smooth and glossy? And that hasn't been touched a number of times since? That might be a possibility.

1199 Votes