How to Catch a Killer

Though murder is old, the science of forensics is quite young. In fact, most of what we consider forensic science has been around for less than 200 years. Long before we developed the ability to analyze fingerprints or test DNA, the victim’s body was often the evidence—thus early forensics is where medicine and crime solving intersect. That intersection began to appear in the 19th century, when doctors, surgeons, and scientists fine-tuned their understanding of disease, decay, and the actions of chemicals and poisons on the human body.

Join Brandy Schillace for a look back at the development of forensic science over the past two centuries, a journey that will take you from Victorian serial killers to digital sleuthing in the 21st century. In the 10 lectures of How to Catch a Killer: A History of the Forensic Science Toolkit, you’ll discover how advances in forensic science have thwarted criminals and improved our ability to bring them to justice. You’ll learn how the study of insects helped solve a vicious double homicide, how particles of powder beneath a fingernail unraveled a murderer’s seemingly airtight alibi, and how ballistic evidence was used both to incriminate and to exonerate a group of black soldiers.

Beginning in the late 19th century, the need to codify and expand the techniques of criminal investigation became increasingly evident. Over the last 150 years, forensic science has evolved in complex, multifaceted ways. From James Marsh’s test for detecting arsenic, to Francis Galton’s fingerprint analysis, to John Spenzer’s careful tests involving human blood, all the way up to DNA profiling and digital tracking, you’ll uncover how science and technology have helped generations of law enforcement officers keep pace with modern crime.