Science research

You have watched it on the TV show CSI, and noted how CSI technicians collect evidence from a crime scene in order determine the who, what, when, where, why, and how involved in a crime.

In a science called physical forensic science, there are four aspects involved. In this article, I will define the four aspects of physical forensic science so that the next time you watch CSI, you will have a better understanding of what police scientists talk about.

What is physical forensic science?

Searching for trace evidence, identifying the type of firearm used by studying its projectile, studying the handwriting of a signature on a document, and analyzing the ridges of fingerprints under a microscope all are a part of the physical aspect of forensic science.

Trace evidence

Trace evidence refers to any small item of evidence such as glass, paint, fiber, hair, or soil. Such evidence puts the suspect at the crime scene or in direct contact with the victim. Matching glass shards found on the victim of a hit-and-run vehicle accident to glass shards taken from the broken turn signal lamp of the suspect’s car is a good example.

Firearms Identification

All you CSI: Miami fans know that this is right up Caleigh Duquesne’s alley. Firearms identification involves the examination of firearms and the bullets they fire, including ammunition, shell casings, shotgun shells, and fired bullets. Police scientists use microscopes or varying types of chemical analysis to identify the type of gun used to commit a crime and match any bullets fired from that weapon or shell casings to a weapon of interest.

Document Analysis

Whenever an important document whose handwriting or authenticity is in question, a document analyst uses handwriting analysis to compare handwriting samples to questionable documents or signatures. Document analysis also may involve analyzing the chemical and physical properties of papers and inks or exposing indented writing–the indentations made on the page underneath one that was written on. In addition, document analysis also includes typewritten and photocopied documents that may have been altered.

Fingerprint Analysis

Fingerprint analysts compare prints found at a crime scene to the fingers, palms, or soles of potential suspects. A print found at a crime scene can be compared with another print stored in a database such as the FBI’s Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) or from a suspect, victim, or bystander.

Hopefully, all four of these aspects of physical forensic science will give you a clearer picture of what is involved. All law enforcement crime labs use these methods to help bring a crook to justice.

For those of you who are science buffs, this article is food for thought.

By: Fabiola Castillo

Not all kids like all subjects, but it seems that science is the hardest for ordinary kids to get interested in. This could be because that a lot of parents themselves are not interested in science and kids seem to pick up on that. Teachers try everything that they can think of to make their subjects interesting and most of the time it works. Teachers who have passion for their subject are a lot more effective in getting kids interested in a subject than teachers who just sit and lecture a student.

As a parent you might be wondering how you can get your child interested in science. The first step is to become active and interested in what your child is doing. This is probably the most important thing you can do to get your child interested in anything. By showing your child that you are interested in what they are doing makes you child feel like they are doing something worthwhile. Because they are feeling important they will approach science with a new zest for learning.

Here are a few tips to help get your child interested in science.

Tip one:
Do not wait for school to start before trying to teach your child about science. Start teaching them stuff at a young age. The great thing about science is that you can gear it towards any age. For example when you are taking a walk in the spring you can talk with your child about why flowers are starting to grow this time of year.

Tip two:
Take advantage of your child’s natural curiosity. Kids love to ask questions, they always want to know how something works, why something does that, how something is made, and anything else that they can think to ask. Rather than telling them the answers simply ask questions of your own. Ask them what they think the answer is and how they came up with that answer.

Tip three:
Do hands-on projects with them to help them learn how to think critically and figure out how things work. For example you can bake cookies with children and teach them about how mixing the ingredients together turn the separate ingredients into something else entirely. You can also teach them about temperatures when the cookies are in the oven. No matter the age you can find some type of hands-on thing to do to relate to science. The key is to engage in conversation with your child and have them think things through.

Tip four:
Help your child get involved in more science related activities at school. Encourage them to participate in the Science Fair and help them with their project. Or if they are involved in Scouts take advantage of their Scouting projects and turn them into a fun science lesson. Your children do not realize just how much science actually affects our every day lives.

Tip five:
Encourage your child to investigate and experiment. The main part of science is investigating what you think and trying to see if it will work. For example if your child wants to play in the snow and build a snowman/snow chair let them try it out. Give them the tools they can use or ask them what they might need and provide it for them. If their idea does not work you can suggest the build the platform first and then put a snowman’s head on the back of the platform. But let them try their ideas without discouraging them.

Science does not have to be boring; by taking the time to answer your child’s question or by having them answer their own question you are teaching them about science. Buying them that butterfly habitat is also teaching them about science. And the best news is it is all fun and interesting for them.

By: Chuck Lunsford

As I have grown older, I have come to appreciate science in ways I never could before. In high school, I couldn’t understand why Dr. Lay, my 12th grade Physics teacher, would be so excited by new scientific discovers. One time, he nearly passed out from excitement, while explaining to us the significance of some old, old lady’s remains. They were calling her “Lucy”. Later, I would come to realize how significant this archaeological discovery would be to the explanation of the evolution of mankind.

Recently, I have found myself as excited as Dr. Lay in a new scientific discovery. The discovery of Dark Energy has brought me in line with Dr. Lay’s passion for new discoveries. Science has unveiled a new form of energy. The Hubble Telescope observed this energy for the first time in 2003. As the telescope has traveled deeper into the galaxy, it has revealed this massive energy source. It has been identified as the dominate energy form in the universe. This energy is being referred to as Dark energy because of its absence of form. It is virtually undetectable.

The discovery of this energy has conflicted previous understanding of the universe. Previously, we believed that the Milky Way Galaxy and its planets were expanding further apart. In addition, the rate by which it was expanding was slowing down to a stop. It was formerly believed that the galaxy would eventually stop expanding and began to retract back towards the Sun. It was believed that the Sun’s gravitational pull would draw all the planets into its center.

These recent discoveries contradict this former belief. The universe is actually being impacted by this invisible force, being called Dark Energy. This force is actually pulling the galaxy further into the universe. It is overpowering the Sun’s gravitational pull and causing the planets to rocket faster to the furthest reaches of the universe.

To simplify this new theory, imagine holding a ball in your hand. Then you decide to use your body’s energy throw that ball into the air. You toss that ball with all your force up in the air. The ball speeds towards the sky. Eventually the ball slows down and begins to stop moving. The force of gravity works against the energy you invested in the ball. The expected result is the ball would fall back to the ground.

But imagine, tossing that ball up in the air. You wait for that ball to come back to you, but it doesn’t. It continues to move upward. It actually speeds up. Imagine that ball speeding at greater speeds up and out of sight into the most high of places of the atmosphere. This is how Dark Energy is affecting the planets in our galaxy.

Consider this concept for your own life. As families, we invest the balance of our energy in our children. We invest our money, time and values in these little balls of potential. As they reach the proper age, we propel them out into the world. They burst from our front doors into far away places; new cities and far away colleges. They land into their own families, into jobs and careers. As they enter into this world, they encounter gravitational like forces working against them. Forces like temptation, lust and laziness sometimes work to keep them grounded. In many cases, our children fall short of our expectations. In some cases these children return back home. Lord help us.

As parents, our resources are limited. We can only buy, teach, or tell our children so much. We have to give them something more powerful than the world’s forces to propel them to the higher heights we envision for them. Like the Dark Energy of the universe, we have to teach our children to submit to a greater power in and around us. There is an unseen force within all of us propelling us to the far reaches of our potential. As humans, we are stretching further out to unknown places and discovering new ideas, new possibilities, new forms of human energy and potential.

It is inevitable that we will, as mankind, continue to move towards our destiny. Much like the planets traveling their course into the far reaches of the universe, mankind is approaching an unknown destiny. In our travels, we are moving at greater speeds towards unseen wonders.

Now, I understand what Dr. Lay was trying to teach us. While we travel through this life, filled with questions and dilemmas, we have a way of understanding the challenges we face. Science helps us uncover the mysterious of the universe and our lives. Thanks Dr. Lay. I get it now.

By: Harlan Hodge