Forensic Science Vocabulary

Flashcards of terms related to Forensic Science.

AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System)

A database system used to store and compare fingerprint images.

Agonist

A drug that binds to a receptor and causes it to exert its function on the cell.

Alveoli

Tiny air sacs in the lungs where gas exchange occurs, including the release of volatile substances like alcohol from the bloodstream into exhaled breath.

Anagen Phase

The active growth phase of hair.

Antagonist

A drug that binds to a receptor but does not cause it to exert the action of the cell, often blocking or reversing the actions of agonists.

Ballistics

The study of projectile motion.

BrAC (Breath Alcohol Concentration)

The concentration of alcohol in a person's breath, typically measured in grams of alcohol per 210 L of deep lung air.

Catagen Phase

The transitional phase of hair growth.

Clinical Autopsy

A post-mortem examination performed where a patient has received treatment for a particular medical condition, often for research or educational purposes.

Cortex

The layer of hair between the cuticle and the medulla, containing pigment granules.

Cut-off Level

A threshold concentration for a drug in a sample below which a reliable result cannot be obtained or is reported as "not detected."

Cuticle

The outermost layer of hair, composed of overlapping scales.

Delta

A triangulated feature near the core of most fingerprint patterns, formed by the point of divergence of type lines.

Distribution

The process by which drugs are transported throughout the body via the bloodstream.

Drug

A chemical or chemical mixture designed to have physiological and/or psychological effects on a person.

EMIT (Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay Test)

A popular immunoassay test used for drug screening in body fluids.

Elimination

The process by which the body removes drugs and their metabolites, primarily through excretion in urine, respiration, or perspiration.

External Ballistics

The study of a projectile's trajectory and behavior after it leaves the barrel of a firearm.

Firearm

A lethal weapon from which a shot, bullet, or other missile can be discharged, with the definition broadened over time to include various devices and components.

Forensic Pathologist

A doctor trained to identify the cause and manner of death, often working with toxicologists in cases involving drugs or poisons.

Forensic Toxicology

The study of how drugs and poisons affect humans in a legal context, particularly in cases of death, injury, or incapacitation.

Friction Ridges

Raised areas on the palms, soles, fingers, and toes that form patterns used for identification.

Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus

A field sobriety test where a police officer observes the involuntary jerking of a person's eyeballs as they follow a moving object.

Immunoassay

A type of screening test for drugs in body fluids that uses antibodies to detect the presence of specific substances.

Individualisation

The process of linking a piece of forensic evidence (like a fingerprint or bullet striations) to a unique source.

Internal Ballistics

The study of the processes that occur within a firearm from the time the trigger is pulled until the projectile leaves the barrel.

Known Sample

A forensic sample taken from a known source, such as a suspect's hair or fingerprints, for comparison with questioned samples.

Lands

The raised portions between the grooves in the rifled barrel of a firearm.

Level 1 Detail

The general overall pattern of a fingerprint (arch, loop, or whorl).

Level 2 Detail

The ridge paths and their characteristics or minutiae within a fingerprint pattern.

Level 3 Detail

The microscopic ridge characteristics of a fingerprint, such as pores and ridge shape.

Macroscopic

Observable with the naked eye.

Mass Spectrometry

The only accepted method for drug confirmation in forensic toxicology, which identifies substances based on their mass-to-charge ratio.

Medulla

The innermost core of a hair shaft.

Medico-legal Autopsy

A post-mortem examination performed in cases of suspicious death or injury to determine the cause and manner of death for legal purposes.

Metabolite

A substance that is chemically changed from a drug or other substance during metabolism.

Metabolism

The process by which a drug or other substance is chemically changed into a different but related substance (metabolite) within the body, primarily in the liver.

Microscopic

Requiring a microscope to be observed.

Minutiae

Characteristics or features within a fingerprint pattern, such as bifurcations, ridge endings, and enclosures, that are used for identification.

Mitochondrial DNA

DNA found in the mitochondria of cells, which can be used for forensic analysis, particularly with hair samples.

OUIL (Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol)

A legal charge related to having a blood alcohol concentration above a certain limit while operating a motor vehicle.

Pharmacodynamics

The study of how drugs act in the body, including their effects on cells and organs.

Pharmacokinetics

The science concerned with how drugs move into and out of the body, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination.

Pharmacology

The science that studies the relationships between drugs and living things.

Poison

A substance that has a toxic (life-threatening) effect on a person.

Pyloric Valve

A valve that connects the stomach to the small intestine, controlling the passage of stomach contents.

Questioned Print

A fingerprint found at a crime scene or on evidence that needs to be identified.

Receptor

An active site on cells that drugs are designed to bind to, causing the cell to perform a specific function.

Revolver

A type of handgun with a rotating cylinder that holds cartridges.

Rifling

Spiral grooves and lands within the barrel of a firearm that impart spin to a bullet, improving accuracy.

Screening Tests

Preliminary tests for drugs in body fluids that indicate the possible presence of a drug but do not confirm its identity.

Self-loading/Semi-automatic Firearm

A type of firearm that uses the energy of the discharged cartridge to eject the spent case and load a new cartridge into the chamber.

Shotgun

A type of firearm designed to discharge small shots or a single projectile, typically with a smooth bore barrel.

SPME (Solid Phase Microextraction)

A refinement of solid phase extraction that uses a coated wire, strip, or fiber to selectively adsorb drugs from a liquid sample.

Striations

Markings left on bullets by the rifling in the barrel of a firearm that are believed to be unique to that firearm.

Synergism

The phenomenon where the combined effect of two or more drugs is greater than the sum of their individual effects.

Telogen Phase

The resting phase of hair growth.

Terminal Ballistics

The study of a projectile's behavior and effects upon impact with a target.

Time Since Death (TSD)

The estimated time elapsed since a person died.

Tolerance

A phenomenon where the body's organ systems adapt to a drug, requiring increasing doses to achieve the same psychoactive effect.

Toxicology

The study of virtually any nonfood substance taken by a living organism, concerned with the amount taken and its physiological and psychological effects.

Type Lines

Two diverging ridges that surround loops in fingerprint patterns.

Volume Crime

Non-violent crimes such as burglary or car theft.

Weapon Tubes

Packaging used for small weapons like knives at a crime scene.

Widmark Curve

A graph that illustrates the change in blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over time after alcohol consumption.

Withdrawal Syndrome

A well-defined set of physical symptoms experienced when a person who is physically dependent on a drug suddenly stops taking it.