By Anthony Raap and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory, Medill Reports

“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and other TV dramas have created unrealistic expectations that can swing jurors, law enforcement officials say. Defendants may walk free in cases that should be slam-dunk convictions.

This phenomenon, called the “CSI effect” in law enforcement, has left many investigators feeling frustrated.

Doug Seccombe, special agent for the FBI in Chicago, said many jurors don’t understand that television shows often don’t mimic reality.

Continue reading “As seen on TV: ‘CSI’ versus forensic science”

By Anthony Raap and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory, Medill Reports

Doug Seccombe couldn’t believe his eyes when he peered into 14-year-old Emmett Till’s metal coffin.

Fifty years after the black teen’s brutal murder in Mississippi for whistling at a white woman, Till’s remains were exhumed in 2005 at south suburban Burr Oak Cemetery.Because of how much time had elapsed, Seccombe, an FBI agent who specializes in forensic evidence, figured Till’s body would be skeletonized. But the remains were remarkably well preserved.

Continue reading “Declassified: The real story behind solving the crime”

By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory Medill News Serivce

Picasso’s “Old Guitarist” hides a past life of a former painting.

The Art Institute of Chicago x-rayed the painting to reveal the menagerie image underneath of a woman, child and animals.

The Illinois Institute of Technology, in conjunction with the Chicago Council on Science and Technology and Argonne National Laboratory, hosted a crossroads event Wednesday, bridging the art and science of understanding Picasso.

Continue reading “X-rays reveal Picasso’s secret”

By Stephanie Sunata, Medill Reports

It sits about two miles above sea level on an icy shelf at the most southern part of the globe. It probes microwaves from the farthest points in space. It surveys the southern sky and scientists hope it will help answer some of the universe’s biggest questions.

The South Pole telescope is one of the pivotal tools scientists use to study the universe. It explores the enigmas of dark energy and was the topic of cosmologist John Carlstrom’s recent public presentation at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Continue reading “The Big Bang – View from the South Pole”