Forensic Biology

Designed as an accessible introduction to basic scientific principles and their application in professional practice, Forensic Biology provides a concise overview of the field. Focusing solely on the science behind the forensic analysis of biological evidence, this book highlights the principles, methods, and techniques used in forensic serologic and forensic DNA analysis. Divided into two areas, the first addresses the identification of biological fluids including blood, semen, and saliva. Chapters instruct on the identification techniques involved in presumptive and confirmatory tests. The second area covers the individualization of biological evidence using forensic DNA techniques. The book demonstrates extraction methods, quantization methods, DNA profiling analysis, and interpretation of results. Each technique introduced in this text is preceded by a brief background of its development and the basic principles that support the technique and its applications. All methods are discussed in detail and accompanied by schematic illustrations where appropriate. Each chapter presents study questions, and references. Instructors have access to a CD containing PowerPoint lecture slides. Emphasizing the fundamentals of basic science and its application to forensic biology, this book provides a solid scientific grounding and familiarity with not just the principles of biological and biochemical processes that occur in forensic analysis, but also the language and vocabulary of forensic biology. The explanations are accessible and straightforward, and informative to facilitate effective learning.

BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE Forensic Biology: A Subdiscipline of Forensic Science Sources of DNA Evidence Crime Scene Investigation and Laboratory Analysis of Biological Evidence ESSENTIAL SEROLOGY Serology Concepts Serology Techniques FORENSIC SEROLOGY Identification of Blood Species Identification Identification of Semen Identification of Saliva and Other Biological Fluids Blood Group Typing and Protein Profiling BASIC DNA TECHNIQUES Introduction to Human Genome DNA Extraction DNA Quantitation DNA Amplification by Polymerase Chain Reaction DNA Electrophoresis Detection Methods FORENSIC DNA PROFILING Variable Number Tandem Repeat Profiling Autosomal Short Tandem Repeat Profiling Y-Chromosome Profiling and Gender Typing Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Profiling Mitochondrial DNA Profiling FORENSIC ISSUES The DNA Databases Evaluation of Strength of Forensic DNA Profiling Results Quality Assurance and Quality Control