It's my understanding that DNA matching is arguably the best and most reliable of the forensic sciences. One reason is that it's based on scientific knowledge and ideas that were developed independently of its forensic uses. Scientists spent decades studying DNA: How it's structured, what it's made of, how it replicates, how it combines in sexual reproduction, and how it is … [Read more...] about From DNA to Questionable Science
Sophisticated Jurors Or Vigilantes
So I'm working through my feeds (I'm getting used to Feedly now that Google Reader is gone), and I see an article at In These Times titled "The Illusion of Juror Sophistication," and I know -- just know, without even looking -- that it's going to be more complaining about the outcome of the Zimmerman trial.The author, Richard Baker, says the poor jurors were bamboozled by … [Read more...] about Sophisticated Jurors Or Vigilantes
“Oh yeah, I’m real messed up in the head…”
"...I think Ima shoot up a kindergarten and watch the blood of the innocent rain down and eat the beating heart of one of them. lol. jk.”-- Justin Carter, on Facebook, March 2013. Because today, August 1, is Quote Justin Carter On Social Media Day, as promoted by Jack Marshall on Ethics Alarms.According to Ken White, sometime last March, Justin Carter got into an … [Read more...] about “Oh yeah, I’m real messed up in the head…”
New PD Blog: Defending Dandelions
So yesterday, just because I thought it was interesting, I wrote a post about some of the science behind DUI breath testing. That's such a competitive area of law that I was pretty sure I'd attract a comment from some DUI lawyer (or his SEO stooge) linking back to his blog in a shameless act of self promotion. And sure enough, within a couple of hours, an Idaho DUI lawyer left … [Read more...] about New PD Blog: Defending Dandelions
Some DUI Science and Guesswork
Jamison Koehler put up a post on the fraction of your breath that a breathalyzer uses to estimate your blood alcohol ratio. He's had expert training in DUI defense and therefore DUI-related technology, whereas I've just had some basic math and science education. But it's an interesting subject, and I thought I'd try to explain what I think is happening from a science-ish point … [Read more...] about Some DUI Science and Guesswork