NEW SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL SERIES EXPLORES THE SCIENCE BEHIND CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS
FORENSIC FIRSTS
SET TO PREMIERE SUNDAY, JUNE 17 AT 9PM ET/PT

New York, NY – May 17, 2012 – DNA Profiling. Toxicology. Ballistics. Today’s criminal investigators employ powerful scientific tools to catch bad guys. But where did they come from and how do they really work? A new six-episode series from Smithsonian Channel uncovers the secrets behind the science. FORENSIC FIRSTS premieres Sunday, June 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

FORENSIC FIRSTS showcases the incredible history of the forensic tools we take for granted today. Each episode weaves together two criminal cases: a headline-grabbing modern murder investigation and the very first case where a forensic technique was invented and tested in court. Through the course of the hour, the cases reveal how the science evolved, often from a simple hunch into a sophisticated tool that revolutionizes crime science. FORENSIC FIRSTS features world-renowned forensic scientists, historians, and law enforcement officials who have worked on some of the most high-profile murder cases of the last 50 years.

“One of the Smithsonian Institution’s missions has been the development of forensic science,” said David Royle, Smithsonian Channel’s Executive Vice President of Programming and Production. “In the 1930s, America had few scientists with the skill and knowledge to study bones, so the FBI sought help from the National Museum of Natural History which has the country’s largest collection of human skeletons. FORENSIC FIRSTS provides lovers of popular crime dramas with fascinating insights into how the science of crime fighting has evolved.”

The series premiere, FORENSIC FIRSTS: DNA PROFILING, will be available one-week prior to its June 17 premiere, for free at www.smithsonianchannel.com and through all of the network’s mobile apps.