Forensic science
The latest chemistry news and research on forensics, including trace analysis, toxicology and DNA analysis, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World
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FeatureWhat happens to our bodies after we die?
The decay and decomposition of a human body may be unpleasant to consider, but it can be crucial in criminal justice. Rupali Dabas talks to the forensic scientists developing techniques that can sniff out the truth
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NewsDirty secret of mysterious ‘tar balls’ washed up on Sydney’s shores uncovered
Scientists unite to investigate objects that shut down beaches in New South Wales
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OpinionDoes lysergic acid link the Salem witch trials and a Catholic saint?
A fungal factor may have been the common cause of witch hunts and St Anthony’s fire
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OpinionScience can make doping tests more trustworthy
Contamination cases at the Olympics and beyond highlight the need for minimum reporting thresholds for drug testing in sport
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OpinionWhat’s lurking in your drink and drugs?
How to test illicit substances at festivals and identify the rodent in your beer
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NewsBritish cyclist’s doping case raises questions over testing precision
Lizzy Banks’ case puts exceptional sensitivity of tests under scrutiny
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NewsNew European Union Drugs Agency to strengthen bloc’s response to illicit drugs
EUDA will have broader remit to respond to challenges illicit drug pose
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NewsThree new recreational drugs discovered in checks by Australian chemists
Analytical service uncovers novel psychoactive substances with no known safety data
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ResearchNew spray-on dyes can instantly reveal fingerprints at crime scenes
Fluorescent molecules are simple to use and non-toxic
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OpinionHunting vampires with the help of DNA profiling
What was draining the life out of 18th and 19th century New Englanders?
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FeatureUsing DNA evidence to picture suspects
Forensic DNA phenotyping predicts people’s appearance and reveals their ancestry, finds Andy Extance, but has some significant challenges to overcome
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ResearchVlad the Impaler may have shed tears of blood
Protein analysis sheds light on the medieval ruler who may have inspired Dracula
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NewsChemical weapons watchdog opens new lab as end nears for deadly munitions
New facility will allow OPCW to address changing nature of threat from chemical weapons
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OpinionThe toxic nature of yew, the tree of the dead
Historically associated with resurrection, yew is poisonous enough to kill
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OpinionFrom the St Valentine’s Day Massacre to modern ballistics analysis
Computational methods are making firearm evidence more statistically sound
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OpinionMass spectrometry to catch Christmas tree thieves and timber traffickers
Forensic chemistry can help uncover pine pilfering and fiendish fir felling
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NewsAlarm sounded after chemists discover new analogue of ketamine in Australia
Long-term health effects of novel psychoactive substance are unknown