Previous edition: 2008.

"Discover the fascinating methods scientists use to solve crimes - from fingerprinting to DNA sampling."--Cover.

Includes index.

In pursuit of the criminal -- The birth of forensics -- Securing the scene -- Recording the scene -- Handling the evidence -- Taking the scene -- Recording the scene -- Handling the evidence -- Taking fingerprints -- Analyzing fingerprints -- Written in blood -- DNA analysis -- Trace evidence -- Natural clues -- A good impression -- Guns and bullets -- Firearms in the laboratory -- At the scene of the crime -- A bug's life -- Cause of death -- Toxic world -- The bones of the matter -- Spitting image -- Behavior of the offender -- Fire starters -- Fire testing -- Crash investigation -- The big bang -- Computer forensics -- Paper trail -- Every picture tells a story -- Future forensics.

What is forensic science and how is it used to solve a crime? How do you know if a red stain is blood or ketchup, or whose blood it is? Can computers really recognize your face in a crowd? How do scientists decide how old bones are, and trace who they once belonged to? Explore the fascinating, and sometimes gory, world of forensics, where science helps crack the case. Learn why it is important to secure a crime scene, why fingerprints are critical clues, and how DNA sampling works. Find out how maggots can reveal how long someone has been dead, or how a single fabric fiber can lead to the murderer. From the scene of the crime to testing in the laboratory, you will get to know how all the clues are put together to tell a story and reveal the guilty person. Discover how methods have changed since the days of Sherlock Holmes, the latest technology in use today, and techniques of the future.-- Source other than the Library of Congress.