Hair : microscopic analysis

Hairs are a ubiquitous trace material in forensic investigation. Few trace materials give rise to such passionately held and differing views as to their value as evidence. Hair cannot be ignored as it is almost invariably present at a crime scene and there are (still) many laboratories conducting some level of hair examination. The aim of this short article is to describe the basics of hair examination, with what can, and what cannot, be safely concluded when examination of hairs is conducted according to appropriate standards, and finally to describe the role of DNA testing of hairs as part of that protocol.