Big Picture Science for 09/19/11 - Whodunit, Who'll Do It?

Big Picture Science - Whodunit, Who'll Do It?

The tools of forensics have moved way beyond fingerprint kits. These days, a prosecutor is as likely to wave a fMRI brain scan as a smoking gun as “Exhibit A.” Discover what happens when neuroscience has its day in court.

Meanwhile, research into the gold standard of identification, DNA, marches on. One day we may determine a suspect’s eye color from a drop of blood.

Plus, why much of forensic science – from fingerprinting to the polygraph – is more like reading tea leaves than science. And will future crime victims be robots?

Guests:

• Owen Jones – Professor of law, Professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tennessee
• Manfred Kayser – Forensic molecular biologist, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• Marc Goodman – Founder, The Future Crimes Institute
• David Faigman – Law professor, University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Whodunit_Who_ll_Do_It_

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