Fascinating facts about forensic science to awaken your inner criminologist - Forensic science is a crucial tool used in the modern judiciary system all over the world. Applying science to criminal investigation has helped investigators solve crimes and prove whether or not a person is guilty. In the following gallery, learn some ridiculously awesome facts about the scientific field, its origins, and the various ways it is used to solve crimes!

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Forensic science - Forensic science combines the disciplines of science and criminal justice. Scientists working in this field use and analyze physical evidence to help solve crimes.

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Forensic science - There are more than 40 subdivisions in forensic science, including art forensics, digital forensics, forensic anthropology, and forensic linguistics.

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Francis Galton - British anthropologist Francis Galton published a book on his statistical model of fingerprint analysis in 1892. It is because of Galton that we know that the likelihood of two people having the same fingerprints is just 1 in 64 billion.

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The first fingerprints - We owe the use of fingerprint identification to British officer Sir William Herschel, 2nd Baronet. While in India in 1858 working as a civil servant, he decided to take thumbprints of government pensioners when drawing up civil contracts in order to prevent forgery.

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Fingerprint identification -

Fingerprinting has been used for over a century as a way to link potential culprits to a crime scene. Fingerprint analysts used to compare the characteristics of the known and suspect prints side-by-side with a magnifying glass. Modern-day technology makes this process more efficient and accurate.

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DNA profiling - According to website Explore Forensics, the use of DNA profiling in crime investigations was used in 1992 to identify the remains of the Russian royal family. They were killed in 1918 and their bodies were found buried on the side of a road.

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Sherlock Holmes of France - Known as the Sherlock Holmes of France, Dr. Edmond Locard created the first police laboratory and developed Locard’s exchange principle.

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Locard’s exchange principle - The principle states that every criminal will bring something with them when they enter a crime scene and will leave something when they go.

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'The Washing Away Of Wrongs' - 'The Washing Away Of Wrongs' was a book written by Song Ci in the 13th century. It is the oldest forensic text in existence and combines historical cases that took place during the time period.

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Forensic entomology - Forensic entomologists use bugs to help solve crimes. As bugs colonize dead bodies, their life stage can help analysts determine time of death. Other examinations can determine if the body was moved and from where.

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Entomology - According to Bustle, the first case of using bugs to solve crimes was in 1247 in China. The murderer of a man killed by a sickle was identified after flies swarmed to his weapon, drawn by the scent of recently washed-off blood.

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Gunshot residue - A shooter who fires a gun and quickly flees the scene will be covered with less gunshot residue than someone who enters the crime scene immediately after.

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DNA profiling - Our DNA is always the same throughout our body, regardless of whether it comes from blood, saliva, or skin.

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Bone structure - The bone structure of a human skeleton can help forensic scientists determine the gender.

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CSI Effect - The CSI Effect is a phenomenon that is believed by law enforcement and justice officials to occur when people watch crime shows.

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CSI Effect - The belief is that the depiction of forensic science in these shows will influence juror decisions as they expect to be presented with more forensic evidence than is actually realistically possible.

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Luminol - Luminol is a chemical used at crime scenes to identify blood. The substance reacts with the iron in hemoglobin to create a chemiluminescent blue glow.

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Footprints - The patterns of skin on your bare feet are as unique to you as your fingerprints.

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DNA profiling - DNA profiling analyses specific regions in our DNA that are unique to us as individuals. It allows scientists to identify and compare profiles from different people.

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First DNA profiling - In Leicestershire in 1985, Sir Alec Jefferys became the first person to use DNA analysis to solve a crime.

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Soil evidence - Soil samples taken from clothing can be matched to crime scenes by examining microbes living in the dirt.

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Dental records - Forensic scientists can identify decomposed bodies by using dental records. The teeth remain intact long after other parts have decayed.

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Second place - Forensic science is considered the second-best practice for identifying criminals, behind eyewitness testimony. However, studies have concluded that eyewitness testimony is actually incredibly flawed due to various cognitive and external influences, as explored on Simply Psychology.

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Fibers - Analysts can use fibers taken from the crime scene, victim, or culprit to assist in the investigation. There are only four different types of fibers that they can find: vegetable, mineral, animal, and man-made.

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Digital forensics - In this subdivision, forensic scientists can trace internet searches in order to catch criminals who have committed horrific crimes. For example, people who have committed sex crimes often have a browsing history of pornographic websites that depict scenarios similar to the one they carried out.

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Dermatoglyphics - The study of skin patterns on various parts of the body, most commonly the fingers and feet, and applying it to criminology is called dermatoglyphics.

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Everlasting DNA - The DNA of 400,000-year-old plants has been found embedded in ice in Siberia.

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Automated Fingerprint Identification System - In 1980, the first computer-based system of fingerprints was created, known as the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).

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Everlasting glitter - Even though it's not usually present at a crime scene, glitter is known as the best trace evidence as it is easily transferred from one person to another, is difficult to notice by a perpetrator, and doesn't degrade, according to Listverse.

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Cadaver dogs -

In a forensic setting, scent dogs can be used to find dead bodies. They follow a trail of chemicals released by decomposition to find cadavers on both land and in water.

See also: The rising risk of water wars

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