Episode 144 | Just the Jodi Arias Case

In June of 2008, Travis Alexander was found dead in the bathroom of his home. His killer, ex-girlfriend Jodi Arias, was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Heather Conner and her team used a variety of forensic disciplines to piece together the crime scene and affirm the conviction. Listen along […]

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Episode 143 | Just the Story Behind Bloodstain Pattern Analysis

Not all crime scenes will have bloodstains. But when they are present, analysts can use them to help determine the types of activities or mechanisms that produced them. Erin Sims believes that bloodstain patterns can tell the unknown story behind a crime. Listen along as she discusses the application of bloodstain pattern analysis and how […]

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Episode 142 | Just Psychopathy and Criminal Behavior

Episode Overview Criminal investigations often necessitate the application of a multitude of forensic disciplines. While some cases can be solved by a single piece of evidence, most have a myriad of evidence types to forward and investigation. Bloodstains, DNA analysis, latent prints, digital evidence, and reliable police work lead to arrests and can stop a criminal before any […]

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Episode 141 | Just Forensic Genetic Genealogy and GEDmatch:  Verogen’s Approach

Episode Overview In this Forensic Science Week special episode, Just Science interviews Brett Williams, the CEO of Verogen, about the GEDmatch database, how it can be used by law enforcement to perform forensic genealogy searches for investigative leads, and the short- and long-term plans Verogen has for the widely used database and related services.   Verogen is a spin-off of the Illumina […]

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Episode 140 | Just the Impact of Disturbing Media

In episode eight, Just Science interviews Dr. Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar from Purdue University about the impact of disturbing media on forensic professionals.  Repeated exposure to violent and graphic media can have long-term negative effects on digital forensic examiners. Dr. Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar is researching the connection between disturbing media and the examiners who analyze it every day. Listen along as she discusses digital forensic examiners and the impact of disturbing media in this episode […]

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Episode 139 | Just Deepfakes

In episode seven, Just Science interviews Dr. Catalin Grigoras and Cole Whitecotton from the National Center for Media Forensics about deepfakes.  Deepfakes are a form of synthetic media that replace an existing image with someone else’s likeness. While relatively new, deepfake technology has grown in sophistication over the last few years. In some cases, the synthetic image is almost indiscernible from […]

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Episode 138 | Just NIST’s Digital Forensics Black Box Study

In episode six, Just Science interviews Barbara Guttman from the National Institute of Standards and Technology about the first large-scale black box study to test the accuracy of computer and mobile phone forensics. In forensic science, black box studies are used to measure the reliability of methods and techniques that rely on human interpretation. Barbara Guttman and her team at NIST are […]

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Episode 137 | Just Digital Evidence 101

>In episode five, Just Science interviews Matt Ruddell from Florida International University about their efforts to develop forensic education and training programs at FIU. The National Forensic Science Technology Center at Florida International University offers a variety of courses, consulting, and training geared toward forensic scientists. Matt Ruddell and the rest of the faculty at […]

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Episode 135 | Just Digital Evidence in the Courts of Appeals

In episode three, Just Science interviews Martin Novak, a Computer Scientist with the National Institute of Justice, about digital evidence in the United States Court of Appeals.  Digital evidence has the capacity to identify suspects, win acquittals, and obtain convictions. Whether through cars, smart homes, cell phones, personal computers, or a myriad of other devices, analysts are able to collect a staggering amount of data during the […]

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