Report calls for more science in fire investigations

A report from the American Association for the Advancement of Science says poor training and bad science may be putting innocent people behind bars for arson.

Over the past decade, the National Academy of Sciences, at the direction of Congress, has been looking at the state of forensic sciences, including fire investigations.

The AAAS report, written by a fire investigator, two chemists, a psychologist and a fire engineer and published on 11 July, will be sent to an NAS committee developing new standards for forensic sciences.