The Role of Historical Forensics in Detecting Poisons

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In an odd way or a good way, I feel weird saying that, but there are certain poisons that just, they stay with you. They're literally in the bone or in, you know, certain amounts that get preserved. Or trying to find. This is not supposed to be a grave. But yeah. It's like a dead body in your yard and you didn't. Yeah. And actually in LA, so we're in LA now and there's just a case that happened where someone discovered a decaying skull in their backyard and then packed it up and brought it to police station. The police were like, that we thought it was a prank at first because what Halloween, you know

Sometimes science is asking esoteric questions about the fundamental nature of reality. Other times, it just wants to solve a murder. Today’s guest, Raychelle Burks, is an analytical chemist at St. Edward’s University in Texas. Before becoming a full-time academic, she worked in a crime lab using chemistry to help police track suspects, and now she does research on building new detectors for use in forensic analyses. We talk about how the real world of forensic investigation differs from the version you see portrayed on CSI, and how real chemists use their tools to help law enforcement agencies fight crime. We may even touch on how criminals could use chemical knowledge to get away with their dastardly deeds. Raychelle Burks received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Nebraska, and is now an Assistant Professor at St. Edward’s University. Her current research focuses on the development of portable colorimetry sensors that can be used in the field. She is active on Twitter as @DrRubidium, and often appears as an expert on podcasts and TV documentaries, as well as speaking at conventions and festivals. She is an active advocate for women and underrepresented minorities in science. Web page Wikipedia Twitter Columns at Chemistry World Blog at Scientopia See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.