And so we are confronted with forensics, or at least with its fictitious world from TV, cinema and literature. Forensics is a part of criminal investigation that aims to solve mysteries thrown up by accidents and crimes by reconstructing them. Those working in this field make use of scientific methods and technical aids. As late as the mid-20th century, it was still somewhat on the periphery of general attention, in labs, basements and morgues. However, the success of books and television series has heightened people’s interest in forensics. Which is why when we hear the word nowadays we think of a mixture of a good portion of action and horror, another part full of expectations of the natural sciences and a third consisting of enthusiasm for technology. Thus over the course of time a rift has opened up between routine "criminal investigation" and the creepy, glossy aesthetics of The X Files, C.S.I., Bones, and Crossing Jordan, a rift of a similar depth to that between Indiana Jones and a real archaeologist.

The field of forensics encompasses forensic medicine, investigating wounds and organs, teeth and bones, ballistics, i.e. use of weapons, computer and DNA analyses, forensic psychology, which is linked to profiling, and … acoustic forensics. This includes identifying sounds or speakers, analyzing recordings and testing their authenticity, cell phones, voice mail and tapes, the audio tracks of video cameras and much more.