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This is the remarkable and gripping true story of a murderer and his victim, and the tiny molecule that linked their fates. It is both the history of a science overlaid with human drama, and a human tragedy inextricably entwined with science. It is about two lives made and destroyed by DNA —and by each other. In 1984, Helena Greenwood, a young... [Read More]

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VHS - 20th century scientific milestones

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In the aftermath of the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, the discovery of unmarked mass graves revealed Europe's worst atrocity since World War II: the genocide in the UN "safe area" of Srebrenica. To Know Where He Lies provides a powerful account of the innovative genetic technology developed to identify the eight thousand Bosnian Muslim (Bosniak) men and b... [Read More]

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George "Woody" Clarke has been renowned for years in legal circles and among the news media because of his expertise in DNA evidence. In this memoir, Clarke chronicles his experiences in some of the most disturbing and notorious sexual assault and murder court cases in California. He charts the beginnings of DNA testing in police investig... [Read More]

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All of the crime shows on TV nowadays have driven DNA forensics to a higher level of popularity than ever before. It used to be that the focus was on good old detective work in the cop shows. People liked to see detectives using reason and logic to prevail over criminals in a test of mental ability. Nowadays, however, people are much more fascinated by the scientific aspect of it.

We live in such a high-tech society that it exerts a powerful influence over our fantasy lives. Instead of picturing ourselves as honest, straight shooting cops, we like to imagine ourselves as high-tech crime solving wizards, able to use the latest in technology to find the needle in the haystack. I remember first wanting to work in a forensic dna testing in San Diego crime lab when I was reading some detective story that hinged on fingerprint identification.

Back then, things were much less sophisticated, but the essential technologies were still the same. I went to school for DNA forensics and then interned with the police department. My DNA forensic training did not prepare me for one thing – the tedium. Don’t get me wrong – San Diego dna forensics is exciting at times, but there is also a lot of grunt work.

For every exciting fantastic lead that brings you straight to the ends of what seemed like an unsolvable murder case, there are dozens if not hundreds of repetitive mechanical things you have to do. You test and test again, hoping that one time you’ll find that piece of evidence that break the case wide open. Of course it is those breakthroughs that really make the job worth doing. Forensic dna in California is not flawless and mechanical as you might believe – it is an art as much as a science.

When you finally find the crucial DNA evidence it reflects positively on you, you forensic lab, your technology, and your skills as an investigator. You might be called upon to testify in court, or you might simply make an official report that gets filed away for later use. However it ends up, it is a thrill to know that you helped to clear the innocent and convict the guilty. It is what DNA forensic scientists live for. Still, before you become involved in DNA forensics, you should really talk to someone who works in the field.
If you want a job with constant action and excitement, this isn’t the one for you. Go into standard police work where you will get to work with the public out in the field. Dna forensic science of California is a much more sedate, methodical career. You spend most of your time in the lab, examining evidence. If you have an analytical mind and a lot of patience, however, it can be a great career.