9781422282939

STEM IN CURRENT EVENTS  Agriculture  Energy  Entertainment Industry  Environment & Sustainability  Forensics  Information Technology  Medicine and Health Care  Space Science  Transportation  War and the Military

FORENSICS

New DNA Tests

Invisible Fingerprints

The Science of Broken Glass Solves Crimes

STEM IN CURRENT EVENTS

Agriculture Energy Entertainment Industry Environment & Sustainability Forensics Information Technology Medicine and Health Care

Space Science Transportation War and the Military

STEM IN CURRENT EVENTS

FORENSICS

By John Perritano

MASON CREST

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

© 2017 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3587-4 ISBN: 978-1-4222-3592-8 ebook: 978-1-4222-8293-9

Produced by Shoreline Publishing Group Designer: Tom Carling, Carling Design Inc. Production: Sandy Gordon www.shorelinepublishing.com

Front cover: Dreamstime: Bizpix tl; Tossi66 tr. Shutterstock/Payless images b.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Perritano, John, author. Title: Forensics / by John Perritano. Description: Broomall, PA : Mason Crest, [2017] | Series: STEM in current events | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016004800| ISBN 9781422235928 (hardback) | ISBN 9781422235874 (series) | ISBN 9781422282939 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Forensic sciences--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC HV8073.8 .P468 2017 | DDC 363.25--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016004800

QR CODES AND LINKS TO THIRD PARTY CONTENT You may gain access to certain third party content (“Third Party Sites”) by scanning and using the QR Codes that appear in this publication (the “QR Codes”). We do not operate or control in any respect any information, products or services on such Third Party Sites linked to by us via the QR Codes included in this publication, and we assume no responsibility for any materials you may access using the QR Codes. Your use of the QR Codes may be subject to terms, limitations, or restrictions set forth in the applicable terms of use or otherwise established by the owners of the Third Party Sites. Our linking to such Third Party Sites via the QR Codes does not imply an endorsement or sponsorship of such Third Party Sites, or the information, products or services offered on or through the Third Party Sites, nor does it imply an endorsement or sponsorship of this publication by the owners of such Third Party Sites.

Contents

Introduction: Crime Stoppers...........................................................................6 1 Science and Forensics........................................................... 12 2 Technology and Forensics...................................................26 3 Engineering and Forensics................................................. 40 4 Math and Forensics..............................................................54 Find Out More. ...................................................................................................62

Series Glossary of Key Terms..........................................................................63

Index/Author..................................................................................................... 64

Key Icons to Look For

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills.

Sidebars: This boxedmaterial within themain text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos : Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing themwith additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more!

Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented here.

Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains termi­ nology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

Into the destruction and the mess of a crime scene steps a team of experts in forensic science. They’ll use the latest technology and gear to sift through the evidence and point detectives toward the criminals.

7

Science and Energy

INTRODUCTION Crime Stoppers

Words to Understand ballistics  the study of firearms and projectiles, including bullets genetic  relating to a person’s heredity high-resolution  providing detailed images that have a high number of pixels per inch toxicology  scientific study of poisons

A December morning started out hot and hazy in Sydney, Australia.With 10 days until Christmas, many people were in a manic frame of mind. They scurried across the city buying Christmas presents, planning parties, and decorating for the holidays. As dawn turned into late morning, a few people decided to begin their day quietly before setting about their daily grind. John O’Brien, 83, visited the Lindt Café in the middle of the city’s business district after his annual eye doctor’s appointment. LouisaHope, 50, and her mother,Robyn, 70, had stayed overnight in Sydney and went to the café as a side trip. Workers behind the café’s counter busily filled orders.

8

S T E M I N C U R R E N T E V E N T S

At about 9:44 a . m . , a man who had been sitting at a table pulled out a gun and held it to the head of the cafe’s manager.The man, Haron Monis, then yelled for everyone to stand with their hands in the air.This was a terrorist attack, he yelled. He claimed to be a member of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, a terrorist organization in theMiddle East.Monis,wearing camouflage pants and a baseball cap, said he had placed bombs in the restaurant. Everyone, he shouted, should do as he said. It was the beginning of a 16-hour siege with the police. The next morning, at around two o’clock, police stormed the café using flash grenades. The grenades exploded with an ear- splitting bang, sending a bright flash of light into the café, stun- ning everyone inside. The police found Monis and shot him dead. The carnage was over in about 30 seconds. Two others in the café also died. Scanning the Scene The restaurant was now a crime scene.A forensics investigation, run by the New SouthWales Coroner’s office, began. As part of their investigation, officials decided to use a new, highly sophis- ticated tool to reconstruct the crime. Known as High Definition Surveying, or HDS, investigators examined the café using com- puterized 3D scanners that broke the crime scene down into reams of digital information. Laser scanners swept over the inside of the café mapping and measuring nearly every square inch. Crime scene investigators used handheld scanners to capture high-resolution images

9

Introduction

Among the newest devices being used by forensic teams is a 360-degree scanner like this one that creates a complete view of a crime scene for later analysis.

of blood splatters. They then put photographs over the scans, rendering a virtual, yet realistic, view of the crime scene.

The scans allowed experts to see where each person was located during the shootout, including police. Investigators also followed the 3D evidence to see where each shot was fired and where the victims fell. Police planned to take all that information and plug it into a 3D printer, allowing them to re-create evidence that they could then pick up and examine. HDS gave forensic investigators the ability to see what exactly occurred during the shootout. “All of a sudden we’re back at the crime scene, where people were, where the projectiles were, looking at the explosions, looking at ballistics ,” said police officer Scott Weber.

10

S T E M I N C U R R E N T E V E N T S

Solving the Crime HighDefinition Surveying is just one of the latest tools usedby forensic scientists to take the guesswork out of criminal cases. Although forensic science has been around in one form or another for hundreds of years, we live today in a golden age of forensics, dominat- ed by new science and mind-boggling technology. At its core, forensics is the scientific method of gathering and examining evidence that prosecutors can then use in a court of law. It encompasses such dis-

Father of Forensic Science

Long before TV shows CSI and Bones , the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes was the first to make forensics popular. The Adven- tures of Sherlock Holmes , written by Arthur Conan Doyle, so inspired French criminologist Edmond Locard that he decided to build a crime lab in Paris to study crime scene evi- dence. Locard, known as the Father of Forensic Science, said criminals always leave bits of clues at a crime scene.

ciplines as toxicology , ballistics, and fingerprints. It also includes DNA profiling, which uses variations in a person’s genetic code not only to identify individuals and put them behind bars, but also to clear those wrongly convicted of a crime. MuchMore Not only is forensics used to enforce the law, but scientists also use it to protect public health and to tell who is right and wrong in civil disputes. Some scientists use forensics to piece together the past when they discover age-old bones and artifacts. Other scientists study how and why buildings, bridges, and other struc- tures collapse into heaps of dust, brick, and steel.

11

Introduction

Still, it is in the world of crime where forensics has captured the public’s imagination. A drop of blood, a bit of skin, or a carpet fiber that shouldn’t be where it is, can send a person to jail—or to the death chamber.

Text-Dependent Questions 1. What is high-definition surveying, and how is it used?

2. Who is considered the Father of Forensic Science?

3. Name three ways forensic science is used today.

Research Project Rent, download, or just watch any movie or TV show related to crime scene investigations, including movies such as The Bone Collector or Murder by Numbers . You can also read a detective novel.As you watch and read, answer these questions on a sep- arate sheet of paper:

1. How was the crime scene protected?

2.What type of forensic evidence did investigators collect?

3.What methods did investigators use to tie the evidence to the crime scene?

Chemistry is just one of the many scientific disciplines called on in the world of forensics. Here, an analyst tests a sample from a crime scene to find out if it’s blood . . . or not.

13

Science and Energy

SCIENCE AND Forensics

1

F orensic science is much more than DNA, fingerprints, blood, and ballistics. It includes many scientific disciplines, such as psychology, anthropology , criminalistics, dentistry, and entomology , among others. Forensic psychology is one of the most well known of all the forensic sciences, the place where mind meets criminal. Foren- sic psychologists, sometimes known as “profilers,” delve into the psyches of criminals, trying to figure out their identity or to anticipate their next move. Words to Understand anthropology  study of humans in all aspects, including development, sociology, and culture electrons  negatively charged atomic particles entomology  study of insects enzymes   chemicals produced by living cells that control various chemical reactions ionizing  process by which an atom loses or gains electrons and acquires an electrical charge

14

S T E M I N C U R R E N T E V E N T S

Popular movies and TV shows such as Silence of the Lambs and Profiler have highlighted the work of forensic psychol- ogists. These experts are often asked to determine themental healthof anaccused criminal before that person stands trial.

What is a Forensic Psychologist?

While the forensic psychologist deals chiefly with the living, it is the job of the

forensic pathologist to study the dead and determine how they succumbed. A person can die suddenly, unexpectedly, violently, or suspiciously. The pathologist must pinpoint how, when, and where a person died. Most pathologists work as public officials, for governments, states, counties, towns, and cities. They are coroners or medical examiners. Others work privately and are paid a fee to investigate a death. Forensic anthropologists study decomposed human remains hoping to find clues relating to a person’s identity and death. Police also call upon the forensic anthropologist to determine whether a crime has occurred. A forensic dentist studies teeth as a means of identification. Criminalists are the men and women working in the laborato- ry comparing, identifying, and interpreting physical evidence taken from the crime scene. A forensic entomologist is perhaps the creepiest forensic job. He or she looks for clues by studying insects on, near, or inside, a corpse.