Material Evidence

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Total cards: 24•Content version: v4•Public deck•Updated: 8/1/2026

Card preview (24)

Front (Question)

Material Evidence is also referred to as:

Back (Answer)

trace evidence

Front (Question)

Material Evidence

Back (Answer)

transfer of a small quantity of material possible; may not always be detected

Front (Question)

Material Evidence Items include but are not limited to:

Back (Answer)

Paint Hair Fiber Glass Soil Fabric Gunshot Residue

Front (Question)

How can the transfer occur?

Back (Answer)

1) Locard’s Principle of Exchange 2) Contact does not have to be involved in order for materials/trace evidence to be left behind (deposit)

Front (Question)

Deposit Examples

Back (Answer)

GSR Pollen Dust Hair/Fiber

Front (Question)

What is a hair?

Back (Answer)

a long, slender outgrowth from the follicles of mammals

Front (Question)

What is hair composed of?

Back (Answer)

Keratin

Front (Question)

What does hair cover on a human?

Back (Answer)

All parts except for palms of hands, soles of feet, and lips

Front (Question)

What does hair protect?

Back (Answer)

eyes, nose, head

#10

Front (Question)

Observation of physical / structural characteristics =

Back (Answer)

morphology

#11

Front (Question)

Morphology

Back (Answer)

color size tip root damage artifacts

#12

Front (Question)

Can hair be individualized based on its morphology?

Back (Answer)

#13

Front (Question)

A “match” should be confirmed by:

Back (Answer)

DNA analysis (if possible)

#14

Front (Question)

1996-2000

Back (Answer)

Study of hair evidence submitted to FBI by microscopy and DNA

#15

Front (Question)

____ or _____ of microscopic matches were non matches when DNA was performed

Back (Answer)

~11% or 9/80

#16

Front (Question)

The shaft of the hair is composed of three layers:

Back (Answer)

Cuticle Cortex Medulla

#17

Front (Question)

Cuticle

Back (Answer)

• Outside covering of hair • Keratinized (hardened) cells • resistance to chemical decomposition • able to retain physical structure over time • can examine with SEM or with a cast/compound microscope

#18

Front (Question)

Cuticle of human hair v animal hair

Back (Answer)

Not an individualizing characteristic More important in the recognition and identification of animal hair/species identification

#19

Front (Question)

Cuticle of human hair v animal hair

Back (Answer)

Not an individualizing characteristic More important in the recognition and identification of animal hair/species identification

#20

Front (Question)

Cortex

Back (Answer)

• Contained inside the cuticle • made up of spindle shaped corticle cells • aligned in a regular fashion • aligned parallel to the shape of the hair • Embedded with pigment granules (hair color) • Color, shape, and distribution of granules are used as points of comparison among different individuals

#21

Front (Question)

Medulla

Back (Answer)

• runs through center of hair • can be present in animal and human hair • cylindrical • varying shapes

#22

Front (Question)

Medullary index

Back (Answer)

Human medullas 1/2 or greater

#23

Front (Question)

Human Hair - 3 types

Back (Answer)

• Caucasoid • Negroid • Mongoloid Categories based on the origin

#24

Front (Question)

Roots

Back (Answer)

provide the necessary tools for hair production and growth