Following are articles published by the National Institute of Justice
Is It an Accident or Abuse? Researchers Develop Predictive Models for Pediatric Head Injuries
NIJ-supported research has enabled biomechanical experts to improve predictive models of head injuries in children, helping physicians and law enforcement to better distinguish between accidental injury and abuse.
Highlighting Significant NIJ Forensic Science Investments: The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Site Visit
The Impact of Drugs on Human Decomposition: What Insect, Scavenger, and Microbial Evidence Tells Us
Postmortem CT Scans: Can They Effectively Replace Full Autopsies?
Study examines the impact of CT scans on workflow and tallies the cost savings of postmortem CT in lieu of full autopsy.
Meeting the Forensic Challenges of Subadult Skeletons
Determining sex, age, and other forensic information from the skeleton of a young person has stymied investigators for decades.
Multidisciplinary Team Works to Reduce Preventable Deaths of Older Adults
The Effects of Temperature on Blowfly Colonization of Decomposing Human Bodies
Development of blowflies on a body is a standard forensic measure of time since death, but temperature variations can alter that development and mislead investigators.
Scientists Seek Connection Between Toxin-causing Bacterium and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Researchers believe a bacterium that causes food poisoning and other diseases may underlie some SIDS cases.
The Search for a Microbial Death Clock
Criminal investigators use physiological changes and insect development to determine how long a body has been dead, but scientists are using the trillions of microbes involved in human decomposition to find more accurate postmortem intervals.
Algorithm Quantifies What Experts See When They Examine Skeletons
Researchers created an open-access computer program for estimating the age of skeletal remains that outperforms current methods. The algorithm is based on 20 age-related skeletal changes identified by experienced forensic anthropologists.
Genetic Variants Linked to Sudden Unexplained Deaths
Researchers improve molecular autopsy accuracy by identifying more genetic variants that could lead to sudden unexplained deaths. These genetic clues may better inform criminal investigations and help prevent deaths in surviving family members.
New Method for Measuring Human Decomposition Could Significantly Impact Medicolegal Death Investigations
Improving postmortem interval estimation with standardized and simplified protocols could significantly impact medicolegal death investigations by providing more accurate and reliable data for determining time since death.
Determining the Age of a Sample Using RNA Sequencing
The forensic power of DNA is clear, but biological evidence also contains RNA, another potential source of information. Because RNA decomposes quickly, its utility is considered limited. Could this decomposition provide information about a sample’s age?