The Royal Institution - Christmas Lectures 2022 - Secrets of Forensic science
The Royal Institution's 2022 Christmas Lectures - Secrets of forensic science, were broadcast on the BBC in late December. This collection of resources from the STEM Learning digital resource collection can support themes addressed in this three lectures series presented by Professor Dame Sue Black:
- What human bones can reveal about the age, sex, diet, ancestry and medical history of a person
- Identifying a person from one fragment and identifying the individuals found in a mass grave from the bones recovered
- The use of fingerprinting and DNA testing in court cases
- How to identify living people from their veins, wrinkles and memories.
During the lectures the professor reveals why people should not believe everything they see in TV crime dramas and highlights some stand-out cases from her remarkable career. She explores the major advances in forensic science, some of its limitations, and what the future might hold.
Further details about the lectures can be found on the Royal Institution website.
Resources
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New Light on Crime Scenes
A case study from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) archives which considers fingerprinting and DNA profiling, the cornerstones of crime detection. Now new techniques, pioneered by EPSRC-supported researchers, are set to take these methods to a whole new level. The Light It Up project...
Investigating a Crime Scene
Produced by the Learning Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), this case study looks at the theme of harnessing technology. Learners on a BTEC level two diploma in applied science course at Mid Kent College Medway carried out a crime scene investigation as part of their ‘Investigating a crime scene’ unit by Edexcel...
Crime Detection
This Nuffield Working with Science unit featured experiments derived from forensic techniques but could only give the 'flavour' of a scientific investigation of a crime. The unit aimed to emphasise the basic needs, in a scientific investigation of evidence, of accurate...
Crime Detection
This booklet in the Griffin Technical Studies series provides practical activities in which students investigate aspects of forensic science. The resource can be used as part of cross-curricular learning and case studies are provided to encourage logical thought, debate and discussion and decision making skills....