Improving the Science Behind Bloodstain Pattern Analysis

By dhahn (344)

Detectives have been using blood evidence to help solve crimes since the days of Sherlock Holmes. The science of bloodstain pattern analysis—using the configuration of blood left at a crime scene to reconstruct details of the incident—is as [...]critical to crime scene investigation as fingerprinting or DNA analysis. But as with any century-old science, it’s having to update its playbook to keep up with the technology of our everyday lives and the modern materials found at crime scenes.

At Boston University’s Fluid Lab, James Bird has made a career out of studying the interaction between fluids and their surroundings—and his latest research could help give forensic scientists new tools for analyzing bloodstains. With support from a National Institute of Justice grant, Bird's lab is doing a range of experiments designed to simulate the kinds of blood evidence found at crime scenes: everything from the complex scatter patterns associated with stab wounds to the dynamics of a single drop of human blood falling onto a surface.

In our deep dive video, we take a seat alongside Bird and his colleagues as they study the complex interactions of human blood on different surfaces—and see how their work could shape future crime scene investigations.
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