Is your favorite crime show rooted in fake science?

On this episode

About this episode

If you’ve ever seen a crime show, you probably know how the plot unfolds: A victim is found, an investigation ensues and police conduct a high-stakes search for the culprit. Detectives and crime lab techs collect hair, examine bullet casings and photograph bloodstains. But just how reliable are these clues – and does science back them up? Well, today on the show, with the help of legal expert Chris Fabricant , we’re diving into which of these forensic techniques are junk “science”, which we should be more cautious about – and why all of them haunt the legal system. Interested in more crime and pop science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org . Support public media with NPR+ and…