Forensics 103

Gathered from years of posts about Forensics, aimed at educating writers and laymen on a variety of subjects, this second volume in Robert Jone's series continues where Forensics 101, A Friendly Primer for Writers, and the follow-on Forensics 102 left off, with more articles on a wide variety of subjects. An invaluable tool, and very interesting book. From the foreword: "Contrary to what one might think after viewing some of the forensic investigation shows on television programs that show off the latest in modern (and sometime wishful) forensic science devices and techniques, forensics has a long history. From a time of slow advance in ancient Babylon when fingerprints were pressed into clay tablets to cement business transactions, through a time in circa 250 BC when Erasistratus, a Greek physician noticed that, when his patients lied, their pulse rates increased, through the time in 44 BC when Antistius, a Roman physician, counted the 23 stab wounds in Julius Caesar's body to establish a cause of death, to the present time, the rate of advancement in forensics has been steadily increasing. Various specialized fields have developed and expanded to include subfields. As a result, the number and size of documents that describe the growing number of forensic specialties has seemingly grown exponentially. Writers, especially fiction writers, are frequently unfamiliar with the forensic documents and have no time or desire to get familiar with many of them. In view of this, writers would most likely find concise, easily read, explanatory documents of assistance. Fortunately, you will not have to mount much of a search to find such a document. If you are reading this, you have it effectively in hand." CONTENTS INCLUDE: Neuroscience Gains a Legal Foothold; Attempting Clarification in Vein; A Road Too Often Traveled; Get the Lead Out; What's Shaking; Mitts; Where Did that Shot Come From; Mosquitoes Beware; Sniping; Amerithrax; Beware What in Moonlight Walks; Costly Nibbles; Where be DNA; Tiny Critters; Unwelcome Visitors; Outdoing the Dogs; Humming the Wrong Tune; Another Star for Social Media; Shining a Light on Age; Keeping Track of Nonhuman Clues; Ghostly Appearances; A Bit of Botany; Two for the Price of One; Clicking Yourself; Those Who Know but Don't Know They Know; Mass Spectrometers; O Electron, Electron, Where Art Thou Electron