In Caylee Anthony Case, New Forensic Technique Sniffs Crime Scene Air Samples for the Lingering Scent of Death
Chromatography Liquid and gas chromatography instruments allow researchers to break down substances into their constituent parts and identify the components in complex mixtures. Arlen via Wikimedia The high profile courtroom drama unfolding around Casey Anthony--the Florida mother accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee in 2008--has not been short on conflicts and legal confrontation. But one controversial aspect is stemming from an unexpected source: a can of air. A novel and untested forensics technique that promises to sniff out the traces of decomposition on the air has been thrust into the spotlight during the trial, forcing the Oak Ridge National Labs researcher who developed it to defend his methods. It involves trapping air--in this case, air from Casey Anthony's car--in a can for later extraction in a laboratory, where it is put through tests for the telltale signs of human composition. The smell of Anthony's car has been central to the case...