That's the debate at the center of the recent inquiries into Forensic Science Testing and in episode #029 I dive into what counts as a "lab bungle" when working with tiny microscopic amounts of Forensic Evidence. How can graduates prepare for this career path when there is so much at stake? The story also follows an eerily similar trajectory to Theranos - who despite all the deception and fraud did manage to get one thing right...

Chapters:

(0:00) Introduction

(1:15) Queensland Forensic Lab Bungle

(2:58) Automated vs Manual DNA extraction

(6:05) How much DNA do you need as Evidence?

(12:23) The Strange Connection to Theranos

(14:01) The one thing Theranos got right

(18:32) 19 Forensic careers and how to get started

Show Notes:

Serious failures in QLD forensic DNA lab

More than 100000 samples may need retesting

Automated vs manual DNA extraction

Threshold of 0.001ng/uL

10ng of DNA is limit of detection

PCR amplification of DNA

Theranos and fraud

The FDA’s legal loophole

How many blood tests can be carried out with just one drop of blood?

How blood tests actually work:

How to find a job in forensics

Thanks for reading BioLab Collective with Jack Wang! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit biolabcollective.substack.com