Forensic Science, Television, and the Internet
Forensic science is a subject of endless fascination, and that fascination is a large part of what compels viewers to tune into shows like "CSI" and documentary programs like HBO's "Autopsy," the Discovery Channel's "The New Detectives," and Court TV's "Forensic Files." In addition to watching the above programs, viewers can further satisfy their scientific curiosity by logging onto the internet. There are thousands of websites that provide excellent information on the different types of forensic science, advances in the field, books and videos on forensics, and the crime cases that have been cracked with the aid of science. Among the thousands of sites that can be accessed, each of the above television programs has its own site. All provide good scientific information and have the added benefit of containing content familiar to viewers of the related programs. The website for "Forensic Files," www.forensicfiles.com, is the least thorough of the television related forensic sites, although it is still helpful. It does have a good episode guide with a brief description and video clip of the case discussed on the episode. The site also contains useful descriptions of the work performed by different experts in the field of forensic pathology and a comprehensive glossary of forensic terms. Another one of the site's benefits is its list of links to websites for forensic organizations that may contain additional information that would be of interest to fans of "Forensic Files."
The Discovery Channel's website, dsc.discovery.com/fansites/onthecase/onthecase.html, offers information on its various programs focusing on forensics and criminal justice, including a complete guide to upcoming episodes of "The New Detectives." Additionally, the site has a photo gallery of types of evidence collected at the crime scene and an area called the Investigator's Toolbox, which features articles on tools investigators use to solve crimes. This month the site highlights photographs of human hair, household dust, and microscopic views of parts of the human body and articles on forensic tools such as the lie detector, Luminol, forensic etymology, Krazy glue, handwriting analysis, and psychological profiling. One of the best features of the site is a forum to ask questions of forensic experts. The Ask the Expert feature also provides transcripts of previous question and answer sessions.
The best television related websites, however, are the site for CBS's "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," at www.cbs.com, and the site for HBO's "Autopsy" at www.hbo.com/autopsy. Both sites are very informative, extremely entertaining, and make excellent use of multimedia. The CSI web site takes you into the computer of character Gil Grissom. The set up of the website is quite unique. Once a person logs into the site, he or she is taken to a computer screen with four icons for desktop, personnel files, cases, and a CSI handbook and a shortcuts menu in the bottom left corner which is similar to a computer's start up menu. Under the personnel files feature, data is provided on each of the television show's main characters including their height, weight, date of birth, education, and forensic specialty. Clicking on the cases' icon brings up a complete episode guide, including a Las Vegas map of all of the crime scenes that have been investigated on the show. The cases that appear on each show are discussed separately. For each case, there is a very thorough case summary, including evidence photos. In the case summary, forensic terms and the names of types of forensic equipment are highlighted. Clicking on the terms provides a definition of what the terms mean or how scientists use the equipment.
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