Forensic Friends

This week's topic is a combination of Shelley's major in forensics and current field of work in microbiology: anthrax. There's even a brief true-crimey rundown of the anthrax attacks in 2001! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, Shelley briefly discusses the evaluation process and how clinicians might provide a psychological diagnosis. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Continuing with the history of clinical psychology, Shelley discusses the various approaches to understanding mental illness. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

A newly COVID-vaccinated Shelley goes over the basics of human immunity to disease and the basis of vaccinations. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Let's get into some psychology! This episode dives into what constitutes "abnormal behaviour patterns", why it's considered abnormal in the realm of psychology, and where psychological disorders really came from. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Forensic Friends is back to finish up the Hit and Run 'miniseries'! Shelley goes over vehicle-specific evidence like headlights and airbags, and what information might come from them in the investigation of a collision. There's also a bit at the end talking about what's changed in the podcast and why, if you're into that kinda thing. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, Shelley gives a brief rundown on what she actually does as a medical lab technician who's now doing COVID testing. Check out episode 27 about the theory behind PCR viral testing! There's also an important announcement about the podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, Shelley and Natalie dive into the very riveting world of...paint. Paint position, paint layers, paint chips, and how that can help find the culprit in a hit and run. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

What are some things a psychology practitioner might look for when evaluating someone for a criminal proceeding? Natalie goes over a guideline for forensic mental health evaluations, while Shelley shares a cautionary tale about giving people too much benefit of the doubt. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Shelley and Natalie take a look at the role something as mundane as glass can play in forensic investigations, especially in hit and run crimes. Who thinks this deeply about glass? Forensic scientists, apparently. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

In this (post) Halloween Special, Shelley and Natalie talk about the (pseudo)science of ghosts and ghost hunting. They also call out Shelley's ghost husband for messing with the recording. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, Natalie wraps up the insanity defences with arguably the worst one yet; the Durham Rule. She and Shelley also discuss why the insanity defence isn't used very often, and also the dangers of mugwort. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

What makes a claim pseudoscientific as opposed to scientific? Shelley discusses the six hallmarks of pesudoscience, and the problem with modern pseudoscience being closer to real science than it ever has been. She and Natalie also talk about their favourite ghost hunting moments, which is both relevant to the topic and to the season! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, we continue with the Insanity Defence mini-series and Natalie describes an insanity defence that fell out of favour in America: the Substantial Capacity Test. Shelley and Natalie also try to determine if a certain orange tyrant might actually get off with an insanity defence. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Shelley goes over the principles and precedent-setting cases that form the rules of evidence, AKA what type of evidence and expert witness testimony is allowed in court. She and Natalie also discuss the differences that seem to exist between Canadian and American legal culture. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, Shelley seeks out a koalogist (?) to confirm if koalas actually only eat eucalyptus while Natalie tells her about another possible "insanity defense"; the Irresistible Impulse Rule. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Call this self-serving, but Shelley decides to take this opportunity to shed more light about what happens to the samples sent in for medical testing. She teaches Natalie a little bit about the basics of microbiology and gives a rundown of a typical day in a medical microbiology lab, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lab. Patients might not always interact directly with lab professionals, but that doesn't mean they're not an important part of the healthcare team. It's also time that other healthcare professionals understand that. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

We talk about altered states of consciousness this week...kind of. Natalie tells a very loopy Shelley about one of the rules used in the courts to determine if the "insanity defense" applies to an accused. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Shelley combines her BSc. in Forensics with her current work in microbiology and tells Natalie about how viral infections like herpes and COVID-19 can be detected using PCR, a technique that is also used in forensic science for DNA profiling. Check out episode 4 for more information about DNA analysis in forensics! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, Natalie tells Shelley about the actually ancient practice of face reading, or "physiognomy" which no one seems to know how to pronounce. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Did you know that you *cannot* tell anything about anyone's personality through handwriting? You probably did. So what does handwriting analysis in forensics actually entail? This week Shelley tells Natalie some of the characteristics examiners might look for when comparing handwriting samples. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, Natalie revisits phrenology, but throws in the slightly more fun part of it. Which really means, she and Shelley figure out what "bumps" they have in their skulls according to phrenology. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

When a firearm or vehicle is used in a crime, the criminal might try to file down the serial number or VIN to prevent investigators from tracking down the owner. This episode, Shelley tells Natalie about how forensic chemists might actually be able to restore those serial numbers. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Natalie keeps her word and tells Shelley about the history and the "science" behind phrenology. There was a lot of lag during this recording but hopefully the confusion in the recording is amusing.....?? Sorry! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, Natalie tells Shelley about the history of eugenics and the forced sterilization of Black and Indigenous women in America. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Nope, not kidding, this episode is about a very important life skill that is also highly applicable to forensics! Shelley surprises Natalie with how in-depth you can get about something as seemingly mundane as critical thinking. Turns out, it's true that common sense isn't actually that common! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, Natalie tells Shelley about the terrifyingly dark history of medicine and the outrageous, racist medical misconceptions about Black people in America. Please note there are some graphic descriptions of human experiments in this episode. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

In this very full episode, Natalie talks about the psychology and neurology behind confirmation bias. She and Shelley also discuss how critical thinking (or lack thereof) leads to the shitshow that is currently happening.Please check out blacklivesmatters.carrd.co for a comprehensive list of funds and organizations you can donate to in support of Black Lives Matters and the fight against racial injustice and police brutality. This isn't a passing trend; this isn't a momentary problem that's going to go away.Tune in to Several Tangents for the "bonus" parts of this episode! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

What even is fire? What makes a up a flame? Shelley dives into the chemistry of fire as a precursor to understanding fire investigations. Meanwhile, Natalie takes the opportunity to....multitask. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

What a twist! We decided to switch things up a bit, so this week, we take a break from the forensics lectures. Natalie takes the floor to teach Shelley some stuff about herbal medicine and the (frankly, criminal) lack of preventative medicine in the American healthcare system. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Things are about to get real nerdy.This week, Shelley talks about gunshot residue; how it's tested and why it's important as evidence. She also blows Natalie's mind with the fact that light gets absorbed by things and also has trouble pronouncing spectrometry. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

It's listicle time! ....Why does that sound like a euphemism?This week, Shelley and Natalie tackle a list of "Top 10 TV Crime Lab Myths", busting the myths and discussing why compromises might be made for the sake of storytelling. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Guess who's back (back again)?This week, the Forensic trio is finally back together (but apart) to talk about morbid curiosity and the stigma against those working in forensic-related professions.We're not all serial killers, we swear! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

You guys should have seen this coming, let's be real.What was supposed to be an announcement episode turns into an instructional on how to properly don and doff your PPE, now that it is highly recommended or sometimes even required to wear it if you have to go out! And of course, we discuss what life has been like during the COVID-19 pandemic as both a healthcare worker and an immuno-compromised person who very likely has the infection.Stay safe, don and doff your PPE properly, and for the love of all that is good, WASH YOUR HANDS!Stay tuned for show notes and follow the podcast on social media to get the supplementary visual aids!Twitter: @forensicfiendsInstagram: @forensicfriendspodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Alternative title: Natalie Has QuestionsWhere do we even start with this episode? Shelley talks about her experiences studying forensics for her undergrad and the work she does now in a hospital lab while Natalie points out some of the differences between Canadian and American legal systems and debate the pronunciation of "roof" and "ombre".And of course, an episode about the medical lab isn't complete without horror stories about specimen mess-ups and exploding poops.Stay tuned for show notes and follow the podcast on social media to get the supplementary visual aids!Twitter: @forensicfiendsInstagram: @forensicfriendspodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

What happens when a very tired healthcare worker records an episode about forensics in the midst of a pandemic and mass panic? Madness and a whole lot of tangents. Not sorry.Between Shelley's upbringing in a "gang-ridden" neighbourhood of Toronto, Natalie being shamed for failing Shelley's pop quiz, and at some point, the Avengers...Shelley gives an overview of ballistic evidence and how a projectile might be linked to a suspect firearm.Stay tuned for show notes and follow the podcast on social media to get the supplementary visual aids!Twitter: @forensicfiendsInstagram: @forensicfriendspodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, an exhausted Shelley gives an overview of the duties of a forensic pathologist, what the difference between a coroner, a medical examiner, and a forensic pathologist is, and goes over what happens in a standard autopsy. Meanwhile, both she and Natalie completely forget to shit-talk the missing triple F, Dylan. Whoops.Stay tuned for show notes and follow the podcast on social media to get the supplementary visual aids!Twitter: @forensicfiendsInstagram: @forensicfriendspodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, Shelley gives Natalie an overview of what forensic anthropology actually is and discusses some of the techniques used to process outdoor scenes of crimes and clandestine graves. There's no magic forensics à la Bones, just a lot of research that historically may or may not have been racist and sexist!Stay tuned for show notes and follow the podcast on social media to get the supplementary visual aids!Twitter: @forensicfiendsInstagram: @forensicfriendspodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Just a slight content warning: it's not at all related to the actual topic of the episode but we talk about a bit of gore in the beginning. Besides that, though, this week we discuss fibre evidence and debunk the misconception that it's "debunked". Yep, that's right, fibre evidence IS real evidence! Stay tuned for show notes and follow the podcast on social media to get the supplementary visual aids!Twitter: @forensicfiendsInstagram: @forensicfriendspodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, Shelley and Natalie take the opportunity to shit-talk Dylan for going on vacation without them (rude!) and also discuss toolmark evidence, what it entails, and what its flaws are.Stay tuned for show notes and follow the podcast on social media to get the supplementary visual aids!Twitter: @forensicfiendsInstagram: @forensicfriendspodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week's episode is about bugs and genes! Dylan gives an overview of the purpose of forensic entomology and Shelley gets a little nerdy talking about DNA analysis in forensics. Natalie ties it all together with a case she heard about that involves both insects and DNA.Stay tuned for show notes and follow the podcast on social media to get the supplementary visual aids!Twitter: @forensicfiendsInstagram: @forensicfriendspodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

This week, Shelley discusses the various types of bloodstain patterns and how they are used to reconstruct the events of a crime. She and Natalie also teach Dylan about Twitter, which is not at all relevant to forensics but is still...kind of educational?(Apologies for the sound issues. Still working on the setup and apparently someone (spoiler: it was Dylan) was getting a little too handsy with the mic.)Stay tuned for show notes and follow the podcast on social media to get the supplementary visual aids!Twitter: @forensicfiendsInstagram: @forensicfriendspodcastEmail: forensicfriendspod@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

In the very first episode of Forensic Friends, Shelley talks about robbing banks with a little too much enthusiasm while Dylan explains the foundation of forensic science: The Locard Exchange Principle. He also discusses Natalie's favourite forensic topic, fingerprint analysis and what characteristics analysts look for.Stay tuned for show notes and follow the podcast on social media to get the supplementary visual aids!Twitter: @forensicfiendsInstagram: @forensicfriendspodcastEmail: forensicfriendspod@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message

Let your forensic friends teach you about the science behind crime-solving! This podcast aims to explain and discuss forensic techniques in a way that's understandable even without a science background. Join us every Monday for a new episode! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/forensic-friends/message