For this project we were given a fake murder case to investigate. We did multiple tests including ink chromatography, hair sample analysis, karyotyping, fingerprint analysis, blood testing, and DNA fingerprinting. These tests showed us what it is like to be a forensic scientist. We were given the case of the murder of Carleton Comet with the suspects Nancy Normal, Fred Flimmer, Sam Sophmore, Theresa Terra, and Glen Glee. We came to the conclusion that Nancy Normal committed first degree murder and many tests that pointed to her. This project simulated a real crime scene and it was an interesting way to see how biology can be applied to our lives.
Concepts
forensic science - the application of science to criminal and civil laws. This project was based on what forensic scientists do. antigens - a toxin or other foreign substance that induces an immune response in the body (ie. foreign blood cells). We used A and B antigens to find what type of blood each of the suspects had. type A blood - clumps with type A antigens. Nancy Normal, Glen Glee, and Theresa Terra had type A blood. type B blood - clumps with type B antigens. No suspects had type B blood. type O blood - doesn't clump with A or B antigens. Carleton Comet, Fred Flimmer, and Sam Sophmore had type O blood. type AB blood - clumps with both A and B antigens. No suspects had type AB blood. genetic diseases - a genetic problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. We searched pedigrees and karyotypes to find which genetic diseases the suspects had. pedigree - a chart that shows many generations of a family, allowing for tracking of genetic diseases and traits. We had pedigrees for all of the suspects and analyzed them. karyotype - a visual representation of the chromosomes in the cell nuclei of a person. We made karyotypes for each suspect. ink chromatography - the process of separating the colors of dye in ink. We used ink chromatography to find which pen was used to write the threatening note found on the crime scene. gel electrophoresis - a laboratory method used to separate mixtures of DNA, RNA, or proteins according to molecular size. We used this to analyze DNA found on the crime scene.
Reflection
During this project, there were many good times, times when I was confused, and times when I learned new things. The best part of this project, in my opinion, was doing the labs. They were fun and it was interesting to see how forensic science works. Another positive time was when were putting all of the information together at the end of the project. It was cool to see all the data we'd collected come together into a complete case. There were also many times when we struggled. We did all of the tests pretty quickly and we were doing several different things a day. All of the tests became kind of jumbled and it became quite confusing. That's why it was so nice to organize all of our data in the end into a presentation. Another problem we came across was during the gel electrophoresis. Our gel was too thin and didn't give us accurate results, so we had to gather information from other groups to complete our case. During this project I learned a lot about how biology and genetics can be applied to real life and not just used in a classroom environment. It was also fun to learn about how to do all the forensic processes and practice using equipment and tools in the lab.