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Principle of Individuality

Definition

No two objects in nature, including fingerprints, dentition and DNA profiles, are identical at sufficient resolution. Underpins every identification claim.

Related terms

Anthropometry
The measurement of the human body for scientific purposes. In forensic history, the Bertillon system of criminal anthropometry used eleven standardised body...
DFSS
Directorate of Forensic Science Services, India; issues the Forensic Laboratory Manual that governs glass and soil examination procedures, including the bromoform-based density...
Forensic Science
The application of scientific methods and knowledge to questions that arise in legal proceedings. The goal is producing findings that are reliable,...
Locard's Exchange Principle
The foundational idea that every contact between two surfaces moves material in both directions, giving the forensic process its starting premise: physical...
NAS 2009
US National Academy of Sciences report that found large parts of pattern-evidence forensics had no validated scientific basis. The reference point for...

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