The Failings of Forensic Science, Part I

In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss the ghoulishly hip 1981 horror comedy anthology “The Monster Club,” directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Vincent Price, John Carradine and Donald Pleasence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Robert and Joe return with a third installment of Grimoire of Horror, in which they’ll each present a horror short story of note and discuss its connections to science and culture at large. In this volume, they discuss Jorge Luis Borges’ "There Are More Things" and Ursula K. Le G ... Show More

In this episode of STBYM’s The Artifact, Robert discusses “The Devil’s Country,” the fabulous haunted tiled-wall mosaic room in Clive Barker’s 2001 novel “Coldheart Canyon.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Forensic Science is supposed to provide perfect certainty in the most serious criminal cases. What if it's all a bunch of bullshit? Robert sits down with Dr. Kaveh Hoda to talk about all the myriad cons in forensic "science.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Josh Dubin examines Roadside Drug Testing with Greg Glod, Criminal Justice Senior Policy Fellow. Faulty tests, which cost police departments $2 a piece or less, are widely used across the United States, causing countless people to plead guilty to crimes they didn’t commit, despit ... Show More

Ever watch those crime TV shows and wonder how the forensic scientists process all that evidence? Listen to this fun and informative chat with Dr. Kelly Elkins, biochemist and forensic scientist. Learn all about DNA, fingerprints, and solving for clues!  

<p>It’s courtroom 101: the prosecution’s trying to make a case, the defense is trying to get their client off, and it’s the jury’s job to figure out the truth. But how much of the science that’s presented at court is actually scientific? Ben and Sharon look closely at specific pi ... Show More

Josh Dubin speaks with Bill Osinski, journalist and author of “Guilty By Popular Demand.” Even when done correctly, impression analysis of evidence, like shoe prints and tire tracks, is purely subjective. Many experts recognize its limitations. But one so-called “expert” in parti ... Show More

A Forensic look at ForensicsNo dead strawberries this week, but plenty of dead bodies, as Brian Cox and Robin Ince take a gruesome look at the science of death and some of the more unusual ways that forensic scientists are able to look for and gather clues and evidence. From inse ... Show More

Raychelle Burks is a forensic chemist and an associate professor at American University. She's also a big fan of murder mysteries. Today, we talk pop culture forensics with Raychelle and what signs to look for to know whether or not a tv crime show is getting the science right. ( ... Show More