Friday, January 24, 2020

Essay --

The term forensic is used often among television crime dramas but what is it? Forensic, as defined by Oxford Dictionary of English, is â€Å"relating to or denoting the application of scientific methods and techniques to the investigation of crime (Stevenson). This science has led to the capture of many criminals. DNA testing has been a large part of this forensic science, however forensics played a large role prior to DNA testing being developed. Fingerprinting, blood typing, and trace evidence were three of the forensic tests in use before DNA testing that helped identify a suspect. Fingerprinting is a technique that has been in use for a long time. In 1880, a Scottish doctor, Henry Faulds, first suggested to the British that fingerprints could be used in criminal investigations. This suggestion had merit because every person has a unique set of fingerprints. The concept was then incorporated into the law system. Fingerprints are, in fact, most often used in prosecutions. They are to help the prosecutors identify a suspect and to place them at the scene of a crime (â€Å"Fingerprints† 410-411). Fingerprints can be left on almost any surface, including smooth ones. The combination of the friction ridges, or the raised grooves on the fingertips, and sweat that gathers there is what causes the fingerprint to leave a trace (Bergman and Berman-Barrett). Fingerprinting is widely used today and I believe it still plays a large and crucial role in criminal investigations. Blood Typing, or Serology, is another method of identification used in forensics. This type of science is focused on the study of Antigens in the blood and how specific antibodies places blood into separate groups. The blood groups most commonly used in this scie... ...croscopically match fibers from carpet to a specific car is fascinating and intriguing. Trace evidence also seems to be easily left behind, where as fingerprints can be concealed with rubber gloves and blood is not always left at crime scenes. Forensic science consists of many different components that have helped solve many crimes. Fingerprinting can be used to place criminals at scenes and to identify suspects. Serology is a science that has become outdated but helped prosecutors narrow down suspects. It ultimately led to the development of DNA testing, the culprit for its demise. Edmund Locard was the innovator behind the concept of trace evidence and how particles can be compared microscopically to help in crime solving. All of these aspects of forensics potentially led to the development of DNA testing and laid the groundwork for future expansion.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Constellations

Being asked most people would name the twelve constellations of the zodiac and some more they have heard of or even seen (most common is surely the Big Dipper, though it is not a constellation but an asterism). In total there are 88 constellations, which can be divided into eight constellation families (see Menzel, â€Å"A Field Guide to the Stars and Planetes†). Many names we use nowadays came from the ancient Greeks. They used to assign their gods and heroes to certain figures in the sky. Due to their northern location they only gave names to those regions visible from their countries.The regions around the celestial south pole got some of their names when the astronomer Johan Bayer made his notes about the south regions of the sky. He followed the tradition of the names of the ancient, mainly connected to the sea and its creatures. Later on the french astronomer La Caille added the last 13 to fill the star-poor regions between the existing groups. He finally broke with the traditional namegiving and used scientific equipment or instruments (there is only one exception, which is Mensa, the Table Mountain).It should be noted that although now common, this is only the western view of the star patterns. Noone knows when mankind start giving names to stars and grouping of stars. It is most likely that constellation names were invented by early sailors for navigation purposes. But also in the deserts they might have been a good help for the people to find their ways. Therefore its quite naturally that each culture grouped the stars differently and gave them names from their natural and social enviroment.The constellations of the zodiac we know nowadays reach back to the days of the Babylonians and Chaldeans, 2000 to 3000 years ago. Back then the sun passes through twelve constellations we still assign to the zodiac. But since these old days there have been several changes to the assignment of the stars. The sun is now passing through thirdteen constellation s along the ecliptic. After the sun left Scorpius in the last week of November it moves through Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder, in December before reaching Sagittarius, the Archer, end of December.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Brave New World By Aldous Huxley - 1090 Words

Usually in high school or even in real world events, if one doesn’t fall into the social norms of their peers, they become socially excluded from social events. In most cases, people in high school could agree with this statement. If one doesn’t dress the way people dress, socialize the way they do, and even act the way their peers do, not only would they be excluded from any social life but they would also feel very lonely. In the story Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, one could compare Bernard Marx to the lonely kid at school who feels isolated and criticized by his peers. Bernard s physique and high level of status makes him feel so out of place and insecure. On Pg.67, Huxley describes him in a way that gives us an insight on how†¦show more content†¦Even though in this society each individual doesn’t have a family, he was still somewhat cut off from his fellow Alphas and it made him distant. Not out of spitefulness but just jealousy, Bernard shows a little criticism and enviousness in a scene with Helmholtz Watson on page 68, â€Å"Bernard hypocritically agreed, wishing as he spoke the words, that he could have as many girls as Helmholtz did, and with as little trouble.†. This gives the audience an even bigger insight on the difference between an Alpha and Bernard. It also shows the audience that Bernard has been rejected one to many times before and that it is hard for him to even get a girl because of his looks and reputation. One learns a lot about the character Bernard Marx by the way Aldous Huxley describes him through other characters. For example on page 44, Lenina and Fanny are talking about Bernard and Lenina says â€Å"Why not? Bernard’s and Alpha Plus. Besides, he asked me to go to one of the savage reservations with him.†, then Fanny in response says, â€Å"But his reputation?†. The audience can assume from this conversation between Lenina and Fanny that Fanny definitely doesn’t support Lenina about hanging out with Bernard. Huxley gives the audience a glimpse of what â€Å"others† see in him, an