01 - Left at the Scene of the Crime: Intro to Forensic Science
Introduction There’s a break-in at the lab! Your students become crime scene investiga- tors as they inspect evidence and use forensic tools like DNA fingerprinting to catch a criminal. This exciting workshop will help you incorporate bio- technology and electrophoresis into your classroom. Left at the Scene of the Crime Late one night Dr. Elektra Phoresis worked on an important biotechnology experiment in the laboratory. She was very close to creating a groundbreak- ing vaccine that could save many lives. After working in the lab all day, Ele- ktra decided to go home to eat dinner and get a good night’s rest. The next morning the lab was in shambles. The scientist found that many important pages were ripped from her lab notebook. Furthermore, security footage showed that someone had stolen some critical reagents from the labora- tory. A ransom note was left behind, demanding money in exchange for the lab notebook pages. Upon investigating the crime scene, Officer Evie Dence identified a broken window in the laboratory as a potential entry point by the suspect. The forensic scientists believe the perpetrator may have been cut on the broken glass, as several blood-like samples were found around the crime scene. The potential biological samples were collected as evidence to be analyzed. Using handwriting analysis, the ransom note will also be examined as evi- dence. Background Information Excerpts from EDVO-Kits 190 & 130 An abundance of material evidence can be left behind at the scene of a crime. This evidence can include blood on clothing, walls or floors, or even on the potential murder weapon. In some cases a few cells caught under the victim’s nails during a struggle can provide a wealth of information. Evidence can be obtained based on microscopic examination and biotech- nological analysis, and then compared to a sample obtained from a person of interest who may have been at the site of the crime. Advances in molecular biology and genetics over the past 30 years have produced a variety of applications that have forever changed forensic sci- ence. Human tissues and hair are made up of cells that contain DNA, which can be collected from evidence. When combined with the polymerase chain
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