Forensic Science Flashcards
Grade 12 · Science · Flashcards
Core vocabulary for forensic investigation, evidence analysis, and medico-legal applications.
Flashcards
- Autopsy
- A post-mortem medical examination performed by a forensic pathologist to determine cause and manner of death.
- Manner of death
- The classification of how death came about: natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined.
- Cause of death
- The disease, injury, or condition that directly initiated the sequence of events leading to death (e.g., gunshot wound).
- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
- DNA in mitochondria, inherited maternally; useful for forensic identification of degraded or old samples where nuclear DNA is insufficient.
- Ballistics
- The forensic analysis of firearms, bullets, and cartridge cases to link weapons to crimes and reconstruct shooting events.
- Serology
- The examination of blood and other body fluids (semen, saliva) to determine type and presence, aiding crime scene reconstruction.
- Digital forensics
- The recovery and analysis of data from electronic devices, including computers, phones, and cloud services, for legal purposes.
- Post-mortem interval (PMI)
- The time elapsed since death; estimated using livor mortis, rigor mortis, algor mortis, and entomological evidence.
- Toxicology
- The study of the nature and effects of poisons; forensic toxicology determines whether drugs or toxins contributed to death.
- Spatter analysis
- Examination of bloodstain patterns to determine directionality, impact angle, origin, and sequence of violent events.
- Questioned document
- Any document whose authenticity is disputed; examination includes handwriting, ink, paper, and printing method analysis.
- Crime scene reconstruction
- The process of using physical evidence, witness statements, and scientific analysis to determine the events and sequence of a crime.
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