ABFM Technology & Digital Tools 5

Question 1

In forensic anthropology, which 3D imaging technology is increasingly used to document and analyze skeletal trauma without handling fragile remains?

Accepted Answer

Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT)

Answer

Micro-CT creates high-resolution 3D images of bone microstructure, enabling detailed trauma analysis, age estimation, and documentation without physical manipulation of fragile specimens.

Question 2

Which blockchain-based technology is being explored to maintain tamper-evident chain of custody records for digital evidence?

Accepted Answer

Smart contracts with digital signatures on distributed ledgers

Answer

Blockchain-based smart contracts create immutable, time-stamped records of evidence handling events on a distributed ledger that cannot be altered without detection.

Question 3

A forensic analyst uses Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) in a case with mixed DNA evidence. What advantage does NGS offer over standard STR profiling?

Accepted Answer

It can deconvolute complex mixtures and analyze degraded DNA with more detail

Answer

NGS can sequence millions of DNA fragments simultaneously, enabling better deconvolution of complex multi-contributor mixtures and analysis of highly degraded DNA samples.

Question 4

In forensic fire investigation, which technology analyzes fire debris samples to detect ignitable liquid residues?

Accepted Answer

Passive headspace concentration with GC-MS

Answer

Passive headspace concentration traps volatile compounds from fire debris, which are then separated and identified by GC-MS to detect accelerants such as gasoline or lighter fluid.

Question 5

Which software tool is the forensic industry standard for acquiring and analyzing hard drive images in computer forensic investigations?

Accepted Answer

EnCase or FTK (Forensic Toolkit)

Answer

EnCase and FTK are the leading court-accepted forensic software suites for acquiring, preserving, and analyzing digital evidence from storage media.

(ABFM) American Board of Forensic Medicine Certification Practice Test

(ABFM) American Board of Forensic Medicine Certification Practice Test

ABFM Technology & Digital Tools 5