For over a century, firearms examiners have testified with near-absolute certainty that bullets match specific guns. New research reveals error rates may be far higher than courts believed, raising questions about convictions built on this evidence.
Forensics & Evidence True CrimeFrom the 1836 Marsh test that could detect 0.02 milligrams of arsenic to modern mass spectrometry screening for 1,000 drugs simultaneously, forensic toxicology has transformed our ability to expose poisoners and solve mysterious deaths.
Forensics & Evidence True CrimeWhen investigators find a body, insects that arrived within minutes of death become the most reliable witnesses. Forensic entomology uses blow fly development to establish when victims died, a technique first documented in 1235 China and still the gold standard.
Forensics & Evidence True CrimeFrom arsenic's reign as the "king of poisons" to thallium's invisible devastation, heavy metals have evaded detection for centuries. Modern techniques can identify these toxins at parts per billion, but someone must first suspect murder.
Forensics & Evidence True CrimeDNA can predict eye color with 95% accuracy, but faces remain a mystery. The largest genetic study finds only 7.9% of facial variation is explained by DNA, leaving forensic face reconstruction firmly in the realm of science fiction.
Forensics & Evidence True CrimeTV crime shows depict time of death estimates with pinpoint accuracy. Real forensic science faces error margins measured in hours, formulas that vary from 10% to 60% accuracy by location, and official guidance warning that estimates should never be used to exclude suspects.
Forensics & Evidence True CrimeA 3.1% false positive error rate. An aging workforce. A digital world where handwriting is vanishing. Inside the scientific and legal forces pushing courts to abandon a century-old forensic discipline.
Forensics & Evidence True CrimeA floppy disk ended a 30-year manhunt. A taunting photo revealed a hacker's home address. Three landmark cases show how metadata hidden in everyday files has become one of law enforcement's most powerful tools.
Forensics & Evidence True CrimeOfficial records capture as little as 6% of trafficking victims. AI systems trained on biased data perform worst on marginalized populations, the very people most likely to be trafficked. The gap between technological promise and investigative reality has never been wider.
Forensics & Evidence True CrimeFor a century, forensic ballistics examiners testified with absolute certainty that they could match bullets to guns. New research showing alarming error rates is forcing courts across America to reconsider what this evidence actually proves.
Forensics & Evidence True CrimeA reversed idiom helped the FBI catch the Unabomber. A computer program unmasked J.K. Rowling. Forensic stylometry treats writing style as evidence, and the same science that captures criminals now threatens whistleblowers worldwide.
Forensics & Evidence True CrimeForensic genetic genealogy has cracked over 1,300 cold cases since 2018, from the Golden State Killer to the Idaho student murders. But the technique turns millions of innocent people's DNA into an open investigative lead, and the law has barely caught up.
Forensics & Evidence True Crime
