Michelle Taylor

Editor-in-Chief

Forensic

Michelle Taylor has worked on the Forensic brand since 2016. Well established in the industry, Michelle has attended dozens of scientific conferences and conducted interviews with key opinion leaders, including multiple Nobel Prize winners and award-winning forensic scientists. Michelle enjoys writing about investigative forensic genetic genealogy, novel psychoactive substances, next-generation sequencing, sexual assault kits and more. Michelle received her BA in journalism from Elon University in North Carolina. Michelle can be reached at [email protected] Michelle can be reached at [email protected]

Police Presence at Train Stations Reduces Crime by 21 Percent
January 28, 2020
An experiment in London’s Underground has found crime declines in areas where police patrolling was recently seen, meaning potential offenders become apprehensive about police presence and adjust their crime behavior pattern accordingly. read more
Fingerprint Residues Can Reveal Their Age
January 27, 2020
A new proof-of-concept study that uses a highly sensitive mass spectrometry method to date fingerprints has its authors thinking they can test the promising methods in real criminal cases within the next few years. read more
Life-sized ‘Nutshell’ Forensic Course Gets an A+
January 24, 2020
The one-of-a-kind course saw 12 criminal justice students work through the Nutshells during the week, before culminating in an interactive recreation of one of the Nutshells by the UW-Parkside theater department. read more
DHS Issues Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking
January 22, 2020
The Department of Justice held a Summit on Combating Human Trafficking last week at which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unveiled a first-of-its-kind long-term strategy for what the United States has declared a national priority. read more
Body Farm Cameras Reveal Insights on Feral Cat Scavenging
January 21, 2020
Due to the prevalence of feral cats across the United States, understanding the patterns and behaviors of scavenging cats is important to distinguishing between perimortem and postmortem tissue damage in corpses exposed to outdoor settings. read more
Search Warrant Indicates FBI Uses GrayKey to Unlock Newest iPhones
January 17, 2020
Just two days after Attorney General William Barr demanded help from Apple and other technology companies to access older model iPhones used by the Naval Air Station Pensacola shooter, Forbes uncovered a search warrant that strongly indicates the FBI already have access to a tool that can extract data from the latest and most secure iPhones. read more
FBI Wants Help to Unlock Pensacola Shooter’s iPhone
January 15, 2020
In a speech on Monday discussing the criminal investigation into the December 2019 shooting at Pensacola Naval Air Station that saw three U.S. Navy sailors killed and eight others injured, Attorney General William Barr blasted Apple for not providing help in gaining access to the perpetrator’s phones. read more
Oregon Bill Simplifies Access to Post-Conviction DNA Testing
January 13, 2020
Oregon, which was once among the hardest states for inmates to secure post-conviction DNA testing, has passed a new statute easing the limitations, effective the first day of 2020. read more
Facebook Announces Steps to Take on Deepfakes
January 09, 2020
In advance of the 2020 Election and responding to criticism from not only the 2016 Election but daily social media use as well, Facebook has taken its first steps toward combating manipulated media, commonly called “deepfakes.” read more
Roadside Sweat Test Can Detect Marijuana Use
January 08, 2020
Fresh on the heels of a proof-of-concept study that showed sweat can test an individual’s ethanol level, the Halámek Lab at University of Albany has done it again—this time with marijuana use. read more
Washington AG Proposes Establishment of Statewide Cold Case Unit
January 06, 2020
Washington State’s Attorney General has submitted a $1.7 million budget request to establish a statewide Cold Case Unit, as well as revamp the state’s resource-depleted Homicide Information Tracking System. read more
Personnel, Training, Opioid Crisis Top List of Challenges in the Forensic Lab
December 30, 2019
The National Institute of Justice recently released a report to Congress that details the needs, challenges and promising practices for today’s forensic laboratories. read more
Happy New Year!
December 30, 2019
The team behind Forensic wishes you a happy and healthy New Year! read more
Illinois: Consent No Longer Needed for Child Forensic Interviews
December 27, 2019
Starting the New Year, child advocacy centers in Illinois will no longer need to obtain consent from parents to record forensic interviews of potential child victims, according to a new state law. read more
Sweat-testing Strip Could Be Breathalyzer’s Replacement
December 23, 2019
For most people, sweat is an unwelcome part of their day. In Jan Halamek’s laboratory, it’s an important biometric research tool and sample. Researchers have developed strips that can test the ethanol levels in a person’s sweat to detect their blood alcohol content. read more
Verogen CEO: ‘GEDmatch Will Be Improved, Not Changed’
December 20, 2019
When Verogen announced its acquisition of GEDmatch last week, some were apprehensive. But Verogen CEO Brett Williams told Forensic there will be no massive changes to the database and the privacy concerns of its users will be upheld. read more
Rape Kit Backlog Act Passes Senate 3 Months after Lapsing
December 18, 2019
The Senate has passed the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019 by unanimous consent, authorizing the Justice Department to spend up to $151 million in grants to states and localities to address the rape kit backlog. read more
Real-time Crime Centers Can Reduce Crime by 40 Percent
December 16, 2019
Almost two years after launch, and one year after an expansion, a recent study by RAND Corporation quantifies Strategic Decision Support Centers’ positive impact: a 5 to 15 percent average reduction in crime, with some districts reaching up to a 40 percent reduction in certain illicit actions. read more
Imaging of Veterans’ Brains Suggests Sub-types of Gulf War Illness
December 12, 2019
Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to show that, based on physiological changes in the brain, GWI patients can actually be characterized into two distinct groups. read more
Coalition to Build Nation’s First Nonprofit Forensic Lab
December 10, 2019
Come April 2020, there will be another choice of forensic laboratory—one that is unique in its goals, mission and business model. The Utah Cold Case Coalition announced last month it is building the first nonprofit forensic lab in the nation. read more