Leicester fingerprint expert advising Science Museum
Dr John Bond, who is Honorary Research Fellow with the our Forensic Research Centre and Scientific Support Unit Manager for Northamptonshire Police, has been invited by the Curator of the Science Museum in London to act as an 'expert scientist'.
His role is to advise on the scientific accuracy of the displays which demonstrate the unique qualities of fingerprints and their use in crime investigation. Dr Bond's pre-eminence in this field relates to his revolutionary discovery a couple of years ago, in collaboration with Dr Rob Hillman from our Department of Chemistry, of a technique for identifying the corrosion caused by fingerprints on brass bullet casings even if the 'dabs' themselves have been wiped.
More recently, Dr Bond has applied the same principle to a simple, cheap corrosion detector (see previous Newsblog story).
The Science Museum's ‘Who am I?’ Gallery, which opened in the summer, celebrates the tenth anniversary of the first draft of the human genome and is divided into four zones: 'I am my body', 'I am human', 'I am my family' and 'I am more than myself'. It explores questions of identity, our physical bodies, genetics and family and it features lots of interactive exhibits, both screen-based and tactile, along with some newly commissioned pieces by leading artists. The Wellcome Foundation is the principal funder. Entry to the Science Museum is free and it's open every day except 24-26 December.
- University press release (2008): New fingerprint breakthrough by forensic scientists
