Forensic Science

3. The process of ascertaining whether two or more objects have a common origin.
7. of custody , A list of all people who came into possession of an item of evidence.
8. sample, Physical evidence whose origin is known, such as blood or hair from a suspect, that can be compared to crime-scene evidence.
11. mortis, A medical condition that occurs after death and results in the stiffening of muscle mass; the rigidity of the body begins within 24 hours of death and disappears within 36 hours of death.
13. characteristics, Properties of evidence that can be associated only with a group and never with a single source.

1. The process of determining a substance’s physical or chemical identity.
2. swab, A swab of the inner portion of the cheek, performed to collect cells for use in determining the DNA profile of an individual.
4. evidence, Any object that can establish that a crime has been committed or can link a crime and its victim or its perpetrator.
5. characteristics, Properties of evidence that can be attributed to a common source with an extremely high degree of certainty.
6. mortis, A medical condition that occurs after death and results in the settling of blood in areas of the body closest to the ground.
9. sketch, A precise rendering of the crime scene, usually drawn to scale.
10. rule, A formula for determining how frequently a certain combination of characteristics occurs in a population. The product rule states that one must first determine the probability of each characteristic occurring separately, then multiply
12. control, Uncontaminated surface material close to an area where physical evidence has been deposited; used to ensure that the surface on which a sample has been deposited does not interfere with laboratory tests.