With modern analytical equipment we can now detect a substance at a level of one part in one million millionth, and we can analyse DNA from just one molecule. Although these techniques were developed with criminal forensics in mind, we use these principles in our laboratory to solve problems, identify species at risk, and track everything from foreign substances in food through to rare animals being poached and smuggled around the world.

Using real examples from case history, we explore the application of forensic techniques applied to everyday assignments encountered in the laboratory and look at the latest analytical techniques and how we can apply them.