Solving crimes has been one of the most difficult and complicated feats scientists have had to objectify over time. Finding evidence against the correct suspect that is not circumstantial and completely objective has proved to be terribly hard. However, there have been many astonishing advancements in forensics that have helped scientists solve crimes using very abstract ways of collecting and analyzing evidence.
One amazing new advancement that has helped solve a lot of cases is analyzing the proteins in a person’s body. The proteins can tell a lot about a person that DNA simply cannot. For example, bone proteins can tell an investigator how long ago the person died and the age they were at death. This is because these proteins change over time as the person ages. There has also been a recent advancement with fingerprinting. Scientists have been analyzing fingerprints for quite some time now, but it has come with its challenges. Attempting to analyze fingerprints can be undermined due to low contrast and low sensitivity, along with being extremely toxic. They have now discovered that fluorescent carbon dot powders can be applied to latent fingerprints (impression of the fingerprint) making them fluoresce under UV light with red, orange, and yellow colors. This helps scientists see the fingerprints much more accurately and clearly.
Lastly, there has been a big advancement with biological profiling. A “MasSpec pen” has been developed which can give a direct analysis and molecular profiling of biological samples. This handheld device helps scientists quickly identify different substances that may be on a biological sample like cocaine, oxycodone, explosives residue, etc. This can be vital to determine the cause of death, which is one of the major questions investigators are attempting to answer.
All in all, forensic science has come quite a long way since they simply invented the analysis of DNA to now analyze different macromolecules in the body such as proteins. Although these advancements were quite exciting to a great number of true crime fans and scientists, many are on the edge of their seats awaiting what we may see be developed in 2024.
Sources: ACS Recent Advances