September 7, 2001, Hour Two: Forensic Science

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Hour Two: Forensic Science

When someone is murdered, how can science help catch the killer? In this hour of Science Friday we'll take a look at the science of forensics. What do medical examiners look for when they autopsy a body? How can insects be used to establish a time of death? And how can blood stain patterns help solve a crime?

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Guests:
Michael Baden
Former New York City Medical Examiner
Co-Author: "Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers" (Simon & Schuster; 2001)
New York, New York

Herbert MacDonell
Forensic Scientist
Director, Institute on the Physical Significance of Human Blood Stain Evidence
Corning, New York

Jessica Snyder Sachs
Author: "Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death" (Perseus Books, 2001)
Atlanta, Georgia

Books/Articles Discussed:

"Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers," by Michael Baden and Marion Roach.Simon & Schuster; 2001.

"Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death" by Jessica Snyder Sachs. Perseus Books, 2001.

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