Hair Data In Forensic Research

Here for you I have a diagram of the basic parts of hair. I am only going to explain the main parts that are important to analyzing hair data.

Cuticles: Is a transparent outer layer of the hair shaft.

Cortex: the largest part of the hair shaft

Medulla: The center of the hair is called the medulla. Also where the color of your hair is.

Follicle: The sheath of cells and connective tissue that surrounds the root of a hair.

By finding the many traits and characteristics it is important for forensic scientists to look at the hair both macroscopically and microscopically. Macroscopically is things that you can see without any type of equipment. For example, length, color and curliness. Microscopically on the other hand can be a little more tricky,

but also give more information. For example, patterns, pigmentation, and scales that are too tiny to see with the human eye. They also use special lens and lights to really catch the appearance of the hair. They also look at where it is from on the body by looking at cross-sectional shape, how old the hair is, whether the hair is treated by its brittleness, racial differences, and the difference between human and animal hair by the thickness.
As I explain the basic information about hair analysis you are probably overwhelmed by all the information, what it all means, and how that applies with hair being just class evidence? Without the follicle that contains cells from the person we can not state that the hair is a specific individual, but can be identified with a group with the same hair type. Now you are probably wondering if you can only base it off class than what is the point? Well here is another diagram.