Forensic science

Forensic science (often shortened to forensics) is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences and technologies to investigate and establish facts of interest in relation to criminal or civil law. The word forensic comes from the Latin forēnsis, meaning "of or before the forum." In Roman times, a criminal charge meant presenting the case before a group of public individuals in the forum. Both the person accused of the crime and the accuser would give speeches based on their sides of the story. The individual with the best argument and delivery would determine the outcome of the case. This origin is the source of the two modern usages of the word forensic – as a form of legal evidence and as a category of public presentation. In modern use, the term "forensics" in the place of "forensic science" can be considered correct as the term "forensic" is effectively a synonym for "legal" or "related to courts". However the term is now so closely associated with the scientific field that many dictionaries include the meaning that equates the word "forensics" with "forensic science".

On the FOX Network television series Bones, the main character Temperance Brennan works as a forensics anthropologist with the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington, D.C.. Forensic science forms the crux of the show's plot lines.

On the Showtime series Dexter, the main character, Dexter Morgan is a forensics analyst with the Miami Police Department in Miami, Florida. His specialty is studying blood spatter patterns. Part of what makes Dexter so good at his job is that he is also a serial killer.