Museum Blog
Get A Clue Columbia! Citywide Scavenger Hunt Begins March 9
Each Saturday starting March 14 through April 4, 2020, four Sherlock prize packages will be hidden in some special locations throughout the City of Columbia.
read moreSherlock Holmes Forensic Video Series
Forensic scientists specializing in DNA, Ballistics, Blood Spatter Analysis, Cryptography and Toxicology are featured in our new Sherlock Holmes Forensic Video Series. Click the images below to learn more, and get ready for our Forensic Science Saturday coming up on Saturday March 14. Join the State Museum for a special day all about forensic science and crime solving, and save on kids admission to The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes with a Jr. Detective Pass and more. The International Exhibition of...
read moreSherlock Holmes Forensic Series: Toxicology
As a forensic toxicologist, it is my job to either rule out or confirm the presence of a particular substance as a potential cause of death. I test for a number of things including alcohol, illegal or prescription drugs, toxic chemicals, metals and gases such as carbon monoxide or cyanide. Any substance can be toxic if administered in sufficient quantities. Poisons are considered to be those substances which produce harmful effects in small quantities. The investigation starts by examining the crime scene for evidence such as pill bottles,...
read moreSherlock Holmes Forensic Series: Cryptography
Prior to the age of modern technology, cryptography was synonymous with encryption. The producer of the encrypted message would share the decoding technique only with the intended recipients. This insured the privacy of the message even if it was intercepted. Question document examiners are scientists who are trained to analyze questioned handwriting, photocopies, papers, inks, and other documentary evidence in order to establish authenticity. We do not determine age, gender, personality or character traits from handwriting. This is referred...
read moreSherlock Holmes Forensic Series: DNA
During the era of Sherlock Holmes, fingerprinting was the most accurate way to place a suspect at the scene of a crime. The technique was revolutionary and helped put many criminals behind bars. Today, an even more accurate method of identification is used – DNA Profiling. Because they are highly accurate, DNA results are admissible in court as reliable evidence. Although 99.9% of human DNA sequences are the same in every person, the genetic material is different enough to distinguish one individual from another. DNA is a chemical found...
read moreSherlock Holmes Forensic Series: Blood Spatter Analysis
If a blood stain pattern is found at a crime scene, it can give investigators an important piece of the puzzle as to how an offense occurred. The size, shape, distribution and location of blood stains can be used to help reconstruct events. Blood stain analysis is strictly science based employing biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. It is by no means a new discipline, but it does require a forensic scientist with keen skills of observation much like Sherlock Holmes. Different events can cause different types of bloodstain patterns....
read moreSherlock Holmes Forensic Series: Ballistics
Ballistics is a science that deals with the motion of projectiles. A forensic ballistics specialist like myself is a person who collects studies and analyzes evidence related to ammunition and firearms. When a bullet is found at a crime scene or removed at autopsy, I may be asked to determine where that bullet came from. In other words, to identify the firearm from which it was discharged. Once a bullet leaves the gun barrel, trajectory comes into play. If bullet holes are found in floors, walls or objects at the scene of a crime, the...
read moreAn Introduction to Sherlock Holmes
In March of 1886, a struggling young doctor wrote a story about a brilliant and enigmatic detective named Sherlock Holmes. The 26 year old author was Arthur Conan Doyle, and he was my great uncle. Now doubt he would have been amazed to know that when he finished writing “A Study in Scarlet” that he had created one of the most inspiring and influential characters of all time. But what has made Sherlock Holmes such an enduring character? Is it his keen power of deduction, his directness, or his eccentric mannerisms? Perhaps we’re drawn to...
read moreAll About Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes was the perfect hero for his times. He embodied a sense of order and logic, as well as the latest advances in forensic science, at a time when the public’s confidence in the official police force had been shaken by horrific crimes such as the recent Jack the Ripper slayings. As Doctor Watson observed, Holmes was “the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen.” From his modest beginnings in the 1887 issue of Beeton’s Christmas Annual, Sherlock Holmes has become a towering cultural presence and a...
read moreThe Sherlock Holmes Mystery Guide
Visitors are tasked to help Sherlock with a case. Holmes fears the police have done a mess of a job and are on the wrong path. Visitors must become “Baker Street Irregulars” and embark on a mission to see what the evidence really says. But in true Sherlock fashion, they don’t get the whole story of what happened until Sherlock reveals the story at the end. Visitors will first use their notebooks to collect evidence from four stations around the crime scene and then examine or test this evidence at four different locations around London. The...
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