A searchable database of human mitochondrial DNA. The Mitomap Quick Reference section includes an extensive bibliography (Mitochondrial References) arranged alphabetically by author; the full text of the Mitochondrial Human Genome Report; Amino Acid Translation Tables; the Human Mitochondrial Sequence; a link to the Human Mitochondrial Protein Database; and Illustrations.
Published in the April 2002 issue of Forensic Science Communications, the mtDNA Population Database “is used to assess the weight of mtDNA associations developed in forensic casework. It consists of anonymous population profiles contributed by collaborating laboratories." (Monson, Miller, Wilson, DiZinno, and Budowle, 2002) The database program (data, search software, and user’s manual) can be downloaded from a link in the article. Periodic updates will be published in subsequent articles in Forensic Science Communications.
An informative article from Forensic Science Communications, the journal of the FBI Laboratory, which explains mitochondrial DNA and its use in the forensics laboratory to solve crimes.
Database of literature on short tandem repeat DNA, intended to benefit research and application of short tandem repeat DNA markers to human identity testing.
Established in 1988 as a national resource for molecular biology information, NCBI creates public databases, conducts research in computational biology, develops software tools for analyzing genome data, and disseminates biomedical information.
Charles Brenner has been a consultant in forensic mathematics, which mostly pertains to DNA identification, since 1977. His well-organized site presents discussions on topics in forensic mathematics, software, data, a bibliography with links to the full text of articles, and links to other sites in forensic DNA analysis.
Maintained by Will Yancey (a CPA in Dallas, Texas, and a consultant on audit sampling and litigation support), this page provides one-stop shopping for resources in forensic economics and accounting. Topics covered include associations and educational programs, demographic data, financial data, journals, legal references, malpractice, money laundering and financial crimes, and software and publishers. The Forensic Economics Bibliography is particularly useful.
NAFE was formed to fill the needs of those who serve as consultants to members of the legal profession and as expert witnesses. The NAFE Web site has an extensive list of links to automotive, safety, government, and organizations and institutions related to forensic engineering.
The ABFE constitutes the first step toward a professional organization with strict educational, ethical, and maintenance standards. The ABFE site provides a short but informative overview of the science and history of forensic entomology, as well as case studies in forensic entomology.
Created by Dr. J.H. Byrd of the Department of Criminal Justice at the Virginia Commonwealth University, this site includes definitions, death scene procedures, life cycles, information on entomological collection equipment, an entomological field notes death scene form in PDF, and further links.
A hypermedia page residing in the Department of Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, with links to full text articles, bibliographies and selected essays on ethics in science. This page is no longer updated on a regular basis but most of the links are not dependent on their currency.
Article II of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Bylaws. Violation of the provisions of the Code can result in censure, suspension, or expulsion from the Academy.
Ethical guidelines for forensic psychiatrists adopted May, 1987, and revised October, 1989.
Ethical guidelines for behavioral profilers with sanctions for violators of those guidelines.
Founded in 1973, the IABTI is a professional association formed for countering the use of explosives for criminal purposes. The site provides information on the organization and links to explosives manufacturers (
http://www.iabti.org/manulinks.html). Links to explosives manufacturers are limited to advertisers in
The Detonator and exhibitors at the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI) regional and international conferences. Links to bomb squad Web sites are accessible only to members.
A reference bibliography compiled in 1999 by Charles R. Midkiff of the Technical Working Group for Fire and Explosives (TWGFEX) of the National Center for Forensic Science, a program of the National Institute of Justice.
Formed in 1969 to address the requirements of firearms and toolmark examiners, the AFTE publishes the AFTE Journal. This site includes: Ammunition Manufacturers/Distributors, an alphabetical list of ammunition manufacturers and distributors; Firearm Manufacturers/Distributors, an alphabetical list of firearm manufacturers and distributors; and Ballistics Links, an alphabetically arranged metasite of ballistics links.
firearmsID.com is a non-profit web site maintained by Jeffrey Scott Doyle (firearm and tool mark examiner with the Kentucky State Police Jefferson Regional Forensic Lab), that exists solely as an educational and/or investigative aid. This Web site provides an extensive introduction to firearms identification. It is arranged by broad categories: Firearm identification, distance determinations, firearm function testing, expert witness testimony, new technologies (e.g. INIS, DrugFire), case profiles, the history of firearms ID, and career information.
This illustrated tutorial is designed to give readers “a working knowledge of the types of firearms, the types of ammunition used, the nature of injuries that can be produced in the body, and the investigative techniques used by the forensic pathologist in assessing firearms injuries.” (Klatt 2004) This tutorial is one of many created by the Internet Pathology Laboratory for Medical Education at Florida State University College of Medicine. This resource is designed for students and workers in the health care sciences studying pathology. Warning: Some of the images are quite graphic.
This Web site attempts to explain the basics of bullet motion through the atmosphere. It avoids formulas as well as mathematics, but it does assume a familiarity with the way of physical thinking. Included are experimental observations of bullets fired from small arms, at both short and long ranges. Numerous illustrations are included and can be viewed via links. The intended audience is all levels (sportsmen, ballisticians, forensic scientists) and is intended to act as an introduction for those interested in the exterior ballistics of bullets fired from small arms. The author, Ruprecht Nennstiel of Wiesbaden, Germany, includes links to formulas related to bullet motion.
Geoffrey Kolbe wrote this detailed article in 1995 for Precision Shooting Annual. Kolbe starts at the beginning discussing the steel used in making a rifle barrel and works his way through drilling the hole, reaming the hole, different rifling types (cut, button, and hammer), profiling, lapping, and barrel accuracy, and ends on an analysis of which rifling makes the best rifle barrel.
The California Department of Justice submitted the results to the legislature in January 2003 on the feasibility of a ballistic fingerprinting database in California. The more technical information is contained in the attachments (
A, B, C,
D) to the report. Some of the "exhibits" in the attachments are not provided full text in the report but can be found full text on the Web or by contacting the authors of each attachment. Attachment A (by Fulleners) includes appendices
a-f
References