Science News

Bite-mark evidence stirs up controversy between forensic dentists in Chicago and a fingerprint report triggers greater scrutiny of forensic evidence in the UK. Here’s a roundup of this week’s forensics news:

Two forensic odontologists are suing a critic of the

controversial bite-mark identification technique

they practice.

The recent

McKie Fingerprint Report

, from the Scottish case of Shirley McKie, has renewed interest in fingerprint research.

A joint

ProPublica, Frontline, and NPR investigation

found that erroneous death certificates and faulty reporting practices contributed to a lack of death investigations in suspicious elderly deaths. 

The defense in a high-profile British murder trial argues that

fiber and blood evidence are the result of cross-contamination rather than evidence of a crime

.