Forensic Science: Explained.
Forensic Science has been the search for infallible truth, with roots born from Greek and Roman expressions concerning the ability of one to prove his persuasive argument. (The word forensic comes from the Latin adjective forensis, meaning “of or before the forum”.-Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org) Evolving into a science with the empirical study of evidence compared to the norm, to prove or disprove the actions of another beyond the spoken word. Early pioneers, had introduce new techniques, discarded older less reliable processes, and explored new areas of distinction in the development of evidence. Before rigorous scientific methodology, most investigations solely relied on logic and reasoning.
One of the first realizations of early investigators must have been to the unreliability of witness testimonies, and the unethical practice of forced confessions of suspects. While witnesses can be coached, and confessions upheld, more over was the concern that these crimes or actions would continue once the initial suspect had been convicted, bunking the authenticity of the investigation and the process completely. To legitimize the processes a Scientific Methodology had to be developed and as a standard, unilaterally and consistently to be held as science. Using the standards of logic as it applied to science was an eventual step in the evolution.
The breadth of Forensic Science is wide and covers many other sciences and forensic procedures coordinated to an end result. The current debate on the subject regards the influence of the examiner in the process, previously assumed above an articulation biased or not, deeper studies have discovered that simply by encountering certain types of evidence can change or cast doubt of the validity of that evidence. Hence, the “air tight” DNA evidence during the O.J. Simpson trial, which blood evidence, was completely discounted due to the storage and transfer of these samples as evidence.
Finger printing, Phrenology(debunked), blood typing, DNA typing, tool mark comparison, ballistics analysis, as well as any number of field tests to discover chemicals, drugs or alcohol, all fall under the terminology of Forensic Science, as well as a long list of other scientific methods for discovery. In general, Forensic Science is the search for irrefutable truth. As we become more knowledgeable about the world around us, we become more aware of the subtle changes each of us makes on the world, Forensic Science is the ability to trace those paths, and lead the scientist to a conclusion of truth.
