From Sherlock Holmes to Forensic DNA:
CSI – Reality or Fiction

Joseph Almog, Casali Center for Applied Chemistry
                             The Institute of Chemistry
                             The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Forensic Science is the application of science to law. Many crimes would have remained unsolved, and many criminals would escape penalty, without the skillful application of scientific methods by police investigators. Moreover, in democratic countries, it is equally important to clear innocent suspects through science.
The application of scientific methods is particularly important in serious crime investigations, since it can decipher cases which cannot be resolved otherwise; save plenty of time and resources, and provide courts of law with solid, objective evidence.
In this presentation some "high profile" cases which have been resolved by the application of scientific methods will be presented and discussed, with emphasis on specific Israeli contribution to the development of these techniques.