Forensic science would simply mean as the application of the study of science to the law of the land. Most law enforcement agencies put the criminals to prosecution due the information obtained from gathered evidences from the crime scene. With the advancement of technology these days, forensic science is more dependable than ever.

Forensic in Latin is forensis which means ‘before the forum’ which refers to something ‘of, pertaining to, or used in a court of law’. Within the study of sciences, forensic science is an extensive branch of learning. Most law enforcement agencies use it to answer crucial questions affecting legal situations such as civil and criminal cases. Within its realm are found a number of separate branches of learning that ranges from forensic veterinary science to forensic anthropology.

Experts in forensic science are part of a very old tradition that analyzes facts of legal cases in a scientific way to obtain essential information that can lead to the truth. This information will then be used during the investigation that will eventually prosecute the guilty.

Throughout the history of mankind, forensic science has already been used in legal investigations. One example is Archimedes who used the principle of buoyancy to provide evidence of the fakeness of a gold crown. Another example is from China where investigators were able to point out the murderers by requesting the suspects to show their farm equipments. They waited to see whose farm equipment the flies land on signifying that there is a presence of blood on the equipment.

Due to the great advancement of scientific knowledge during the 20th century, awareness for forensic sciences expanded. The development of the equipments used for complex chemical analysis and DNA analysis has come to be very essential for forensic experts.

There are various specialties within forensic science and they are as follows: forensic accounting, digital forensics, forensic document examination, forensic economics, forensic engineering, forensic linguistics, forensic origin and cause, forensic photography, forensic psychology and psychiatry, forensic anthropology, criminalistics, forensic biology, forensic entomology, forensic geology, forensic meteorology, forensic odontology, forensic pathology, and forensic toxicology.

Forensic science experts are undergoing extensive training in relation to their area of expertise. It includes handling evidences to retain the chain of safekeeping as well as the veracity of the evidence. These experts are equipped at assessing evidence taken from the scene of the crime using scientific procedures. They also produce reports that are established on factual material and these will aid the law enforcement agencies to get to the criminals and eventually convict them of their committed crimes. These experts are also allowed to testify in court in relation to how the evidences were gathered, processed, and evaluated as well as the kind of equipments they used in the laboratories to gather facts from the evidence at hand.

Forensic science is far from being a remedy since a great deal of time and patience is needed to obtain results from experts and these experts are not foolproof. Some branches of learning from this field of science are being called into question as well as contested on legal grounds especially the new ones. And there are also some old trends that are discredited as well.