ACE RANGE DETERMINED FROM BLOOD STAINS.

• Position: CRIME SCENE FORENSICS

Igor Lednev once again is making headlines for his innovative use of laser lights to help law enforcement catch criminals. In his latest proof-of-concept study, Lednev, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University at Albany (N.Y.), was successful in using his existing forensic technology to distinguish an individual's age range based on bloodstains.

The technology relies on Raman spectroscopy, a technique that involves shining a monochromatic light from a laser on a sample and measuring the intensity of the scattered light. No two samples will produce the same Raman spectrum, making each measurement unique, similar to a fingerprint. The process also is nondestructive, preserving the sample for future testing.

Lednev collected blood samples from 45 individuals between the ages of less than one year to 68. Using this technique, he was able to classify if the sample came from a newborn...