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Current Research Developments

There are several methods of fingerprint collection that are being used by the forensic science community today. Techniques like dusting with white and black powder, magnetic dusting, and taping have been used for decades, but these methods can potentially be messy, expensive, and may cause damage to the prints during the collection process. A new powder method is currently being developed using carbon dot powder which will allow the prints to appear under certain hues of UV fluorescent lighting. This new research technology has the goal of causing less damage and eliminating possible mess that is often created at crime scenes. A possible downfall to this development is the cost associated with it as it is still being developed by researchers.

DNA as a molecule is capable of helping forensic scientists solve crime cases with trace amounts of evidence. Due to the highly delicate nature of DNA, it has the ability to decay over time. Once DNA degrades to a certain degree it is not able to serve functional use in the world of forensics. Proteins are being studied as they are also capable of identifying the individual it belongs to, but they are also able to identify the specific tissue type it came from. This is different than DNA because regardless of which cell it comes from, with the exception to reproductive cells, all DNA within the same being is identical. Proteomics is the name for the science involving identifying a source of protein components . One of the differences between proteins and DNA is the ability for proteins to change with the being over time. From the day an individual is born, unless there is a mutation, your DNA does not change. Proteins alter their configuration with age, pregnancy, and other cyclic and stage-based medical conditions. Scientists began this research with the goal of being able to use individual proteins left behind at crime scenes to narrow the suspect pool and hopefully gain the accuracy of identification similar to DNA.

Post-mortem intervals are used by forensic scientists to determine an estimated time of death by the decomposition status of the body. Several external and internal factors can alter the rate of decomposition within a given corpse and/or cadaver. Scientists are currently working on developing new tests to help determine the post-mortem interval and time of death more accurately. One current study is using proteomic methods to help analyze the aging process of certain human tissues under several conditions via protein analysis. Post-mortem intervals are still estimated ranges due to the number of factors that can influence decomposition, but these researchers have a goal to tighten the range intervals to help forensic scientists to more accurately determine the rate of decomposition and produce a more accurate post-mortem interval.