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Read a very interesting forensic science article published online by Economist.com which documented the issues surrounding the mass storage of DNA samples.

The article notes that the traditional way of keeping samples i.e. refrigeration is less than perfect given that power supplies can be interrupted and thermostats can be mis-set. However, it would seem a more satisfactory solution is as hand, a solution that enables DNA samples to be kept at room temperature.

When 105 grams of hashish went missing from the narcotics department of the Forensic Medicine building in Yenibosna, Turkey; it was claimed that two mice found dead near the crime scene had nibbled their way through the drug sample bags.

A database of ink profiles is being put together at the Midwest Forensics Resource Center at Iowa State University which will allow scientists to combine mass spectrometry with a new sampling technique called Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART). This new process will help identify the chemical makeup of ink much more quickly and in much more detail than was previously possible and should prove to be of invaluable assistance to forensic scientists attempting to identify inks on fraudulent documents.