What does a forensic scientist do?

red_stone

It is a science that answers questions from a legal stand point. Whose DNA is that, what type of blood is that, and so on. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_science Oct 26 07, 1:45 PM

zbeckabee

That is one VERY huge field with many subdivision, including Criminalistics, Document Examination, Fingerprinting, Firearms, Psychology, Anthropology, Archaeology, Entomology, Medical, Odontology, Toxicology, etc. http://www.dmoz.org/Science/Science_in_Society/Forensic_Science// http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_science Oct 26 07, 2:02 PM

lilbuggie07

Forensic science (often shortened to forensics) is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to the legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or to a civil action. The use of the term "forensics" in place of "forensic science" could be considered incorrect; the term "forensic" is effectively a synonym for "legal" or "related to courts" (from Latin, it means "before the forum"). However, it is now so closely associated with the scientific field that many dictionaries include the meaning that equates the word "forensics" with "forensic science". “Forensic” comes from the Latin word “forensis” meaning forum. During the time of the Romans, a criminal charge meant presenting the case before a group of public individuals. Both the person accused of the crime and the accuser would give speeches based on their side of the story. The individual with the best argumentation and delivery would determine the outcome of the case. In other words, the person with the best forensic skills would win. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_scientist Oct 26 07, 2:48 PM