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Physics Ties Gunshot Residue to Cartridges

New technology pins criminals to gun crimes.> It is getting more difficult for criminals to get away with breaking the law. If a gun is used it is now possible to match the gunshot residue to specific bullet cartridges. A criminal will probably keep some unused cartridges at his/her home. The shooter will have residue on this body and the gun anyway. Each batch of bullets has a different chemical makeup. Differing amounts of glass fragments is the main difference. Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) and Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) provide extremely detailed analysis of gunshot residue. When a gun is fired, residue to splattered everywhere, on the shooter, the victim and in the wound itself. There is no way of destroying the evidence. Residue can be matched with bullets at a certainty of 99 per cent. It is possible that some innocent people jailed for crimes will be shown to be not guilty with the used of the new techn...

Physics Not for Females - Women Say!

More women are moving into academia every year. This is the overall picture. Some areas are still sparsely populated by women. Physics is such a sector of learning. Name a woman physicist - any woman! Few recognise that maths is easier for men, but this is true. There is something about the male hormone that creates this state. Just like women are better at using words. Notably female physics students at the University of Melbourne have admitted that most women do not have the capacity to master physics. There will always be a few exceptions. However, the reality is that generally, women find study in this specialty difficult. Many female students who try physics ultimately end up in chemistry. They do feel more comfortable there. The survey of first year females showed more than 50 per cent had a negative outlook of their chances of succeeding. This makes one wonder why they are in the course. However, some were studying physics as a requirement of other degree...