Have you ever wondered whether the forensic science you’ve seen on TV is anything like the real thing? There’s no better way to find out than to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself. This full-color book offers advice for setting up an inexpensive home lab, and includes more than 50 hands-on lab sessions that deal with forensic science experiments in biology, chemistry, and physics. You’ll learn the practical skills and fundamental knowledge needed to pursue forensics as a lifelong hobby—or even a career.

The forensic science procedures in this book are not merely educational, they’re the real deal. Each chapter includes one or more lab sessions devoted to a particular topic. You’ll find a complete list of equipment and chemicals you need for each session.

• Analyze soil, hair, and fibers
• Match glass and plastic specimens
• Develop latent fingerprints and reveal blood traces
• Conduct drug and toxicology tests
• Analyze gunshot and explosives residues
• Detect forgeries and fakes
• Analyze impressions, such as tool marks and footprints
• Match pollen and diatom samples
• Extract, isolate, and visualize DNA samples

FK01 Forensic Science Kit

Although you can purchase the equipment, chemicals, and other supplies you need to do the lab sessions in the book from forensics and lab supply vendors, doing so piecemeal is time-consuming and costly. To address these concerns, we designed and assembled a custom kit, the FK01 Forensic Science Kit, that includes virtually everything you need other than a microscope and household items that are readily available locally.

Supplemental Materials

Some of the materials used in the lab sessions present hazards that range from slight to serious. Before you open or use any of the materials in the kit, read the MSDSs for those materials.

Errata

There are no errata yet for this book.