Illustrated Guide to Forensics Investigations
Uncover Evidence in Your Home, Lab, or Basement
Published on 24. February 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
350 pages
978-0-596-52116-5 (ISBN)
Description
Have you ever wondered whether the forensic science you've seen on TV is anything like the real thing? There's no better way to find out than to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself. "The Illustrated Guide to Forensics Investigations" offers advice for setting up an inexpensive home lab, and includes more than 50 hands-on lab sessions that deal with forensic science experiments in chemistry, biology, physics, and medicine. You'll learn the practical skills and fundamental knowledge needed to pursue forensics as a lifelong hobby - or even a career. This book helps you: analyze soil, hair, and fibers; match glass and plastic specimens; develop latent fingerprints and reveal blood traces; conduct drug and toxicology tests; analyze gunshot, explosives, and metal residues; detect forgeries and fakes; analyze impressions, such as tool marks and footprints; match pollen and diatom samples; and, extract DNA samples and separate them by gel electrophoresis. You'll gain a real appreciation for forensic science, and discover how persistent and inventive these technicians really are. The world of forensics awaits you.
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Persons
Robert Bruce Thompson is a coauthor of Building the Perfect PC, Astronomy Hacks, and the Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders. Thompson built his first computer in 1976 from discrete chips. It had 256 bytes of memory, used toggle switches and LEDs for I/O, ran at less than 1MHz, and had no operating system. Since then, he has bought, built, upgraded, and repaired hundreds of PCs for himself, employers, customers, friends, and clients. Thompson reads mysteries and nonfiction for relaxation, but only on cloudy nights. He spends most clear, moonless nights outdoors with his 10-inch Dobsonian reflector telescope, hunting down faint fuzzies, and is currently designing a larger truss-tube Dobsonian (computerized, of course) that he plans to build. Barbara Fritchman Thompson is a coauthor of Building the Perfect PC and PC Hardware in a Nutshell. Barbara worked for 20 years as a librarian before starting her own home-based consulting practice, Research Solutions, and is also a researcher for the law firm Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge, & Rice, PLLC. During her leisure hours, Barbara reads, works out, plays golf, and, like Robert, is an avid amateur astronomer.