Just Science

In episode four of the 2018 NIJ R&D Season, Just Science speaks with Dr. Shamsi Berry, from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, about her research with standardizing a large-scale, whole-body CT image database. In 2010 the Office of the Medical Investigator for New Mexico was awarded an NIJ grant where they did high-resolution whole-body CT scans.  Fast forward six years later where another NIJ grant was awarded to create a free-access Decedent CT Database from those whole body CTs.  There will be over 15,000 autopsies that captures key data and whole-body CT images, which will be an invaluable resource to forensic researchers when it releases in late 2018.  

This episode of Just Science is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.

In the third episode of the 2018 NIJ R&D Season, Just Science speaks with Dr. David Carter, Director and Associate Professor of Forensic Sciences at Chaminade University of Honolulu, about his research, “Evaluating the Skin Microbiome as Trace Evidence on Common Surface Types.”

Microbiome trace evidence samples can be tracked back to individuals with high accuracy and used to narrow pools of suspects even when multiple people have touched a surface. The potential for microorganisms to reveal whether a particular person has touched an object is substantial. Listen along as Dr. Morgan and Dr. Carter discuss the implications of these findings as they apply to forensic science.

This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.

In the second episode of our new R&D Season, Just Science host Dr. John Morgan speaks with human population geneticist Dr. Kenneth Kid, Professor Emeritus of Genetics and Senior Research Scientist with 44 years under his belt at Yale University.

With the advent of massively parallel sequencing, microhaplotypes have become a valuable new type of DNA marker for use in forensics. These markers have great potential through MPS not only because their statistical power can greatly exceed that of standard forensic markers typed by capillary electrophoresis, but because they are also excellent at quantifying biologic relationships without having to worry about the high mutation rates.

Listen to the discussion surrounding microhaplotypes, from the history of mapping the human genome and the evolution of population genetics, to the implications on forensics that new research in this field is providing.

This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice's Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.

In the first episode of our new R&D Season, Just Science host Dr. John Morgan speaks with Dr. Bruce Budowle, the Executive Director of the Institute of Applied Genetics and Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.

Did you know that if you swab a 1cm square area of skin you'll recover up to ten thousand bacterial cells? Microbiome profiling for forensic identification complements partial or inconclusive STR profiles to increase resolution for human source attribution. Performance assessment is underway and preliminary data indicate that the candidate panel can characterize human-based selected microbes even at initially low abundant body sites.

Listen along as John and Bruce explore research surrounding human microbiome flora and their implications on forensic science.

This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice's Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.

Just So You Know: In Remembrance of Dr. Cantu

This Just So You Know episode was produced in remembrance of Dr. Antonio Cantu who passed away Friday, June 29, 2018.

"Dr. Cantu worked as a Forensic Scientist for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and served as Chief Scientist for the Forensic Service Division of U.S. Secret Service (USSS) until he retired in 2007.  Dr. Cantu’s expertise included the chemistry of documents and fingerprints.    With a relentless commitment to education, love of knowledge and passion for his craft, Antonio touched, inspired and empowered everyone who knew him." Please click here to read Dr. Cantu's obituary.

Listen along as Joseph Stephens, from the FBI Laboratory, discusses how Dr. Cantu shaped his forensic career and overall outlook on work and friendship.

In episode twelve of our Drugs Season, Just Science speaks to Dr. Paul Speaker, from West Virginia University, about the economic burden our justice system has from opioid deaths. They are estimating that the crime labs alone are spending around 270 milions dollars a year on the opioid crisis. Laboratory budgets are not growing fast enough to handle this drain on resources. Listen along as Just Science delves into the data of the opioid crisis. This episode will conclude the FTCOE's season on drugs.

This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice's Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.

In episode eleven of our Drugs Season, Just Science visits Atlanta for the 45th Annual ASCLD symposium to visit with Dr. Barry Logan, Sr. Vice President of Forensic Science Initiatives and Chief of Forensic Toxicology at National Medical Services, to discuss the convergence of drivers of the national opioid epidemic. Follow along to learn what's in these novel compounds, and why it matters to illicit drug manufacturers, regulatory agencies, and local crime labs.

This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice's Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.

In episode ten of our Drugs Season, Just Science visits Atlanta for the 45th Annual ASCLD symposium to talk with the Orange County, California Laboratory Director, and chair of the ASCLD Opioid Taskforce Committee, Bruce Houlihan. Listen along as John and Bruce tackle the nation's most complex drug war front on the topic of seized drugs in labs, and why post-mortem findings, research, and collaborations are hot topics around today's changing landscape for laboratory safety.

This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice's Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.

In episode Nine of our Drugs Season, Just Science discusses the Opioid Epidemic with RTI International's Dr. Gary Zarkin and Dr. Jeri Ropero-Miller. Solving the United State's Opioid Epidemic that's riddled with unknowns and inconsistencies starts with a holistic understanding of the pervading issues. It's not just the prevention and treatment associated with novel psychoactive substances, but surveillance, drug chemistry identification, legislative and policy reform, and influential stakeholders acting in a concerted effort that will turn the tide of the nation's most devastating drug war front. Follow along with Just Science as we discuss the opioid epidemic, from its history and origins, to modern day strategies for prevention and treatment that capitalize on the use of existing data and policies to help home in on a national solution.

This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice's Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.

In episode eight of our Drugs Season, Just Science discusses research in the area of e-cigarettes with Dr. Michelle Peace. Vaping, the act of inhaling vapor from e-liquid through a vaporizer, or also known as an e-cigarette, has gained popularity in recent years.

The first half of the episode was recorded over a year ago. During the second half Dr. Peace will give us an update on where her research stands today.

This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice's Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.