6 Signs You've Been Watching Too Much CSI

I for one am a CSI, Law & Order, and anything to do with autopies fan. I love watching the super smart people catch the bad guys through simple logical deduction and looking at the evidence. I've been watching so much that I've started to notice "evidence" in everyday life. Here are some signs that you've been watching too much CSI.

You notice everytime you leave a fingerprint or DNA.
Sneeze recently? You just left DNA in that tissue. Did you know that marble and granite are particularly good surfaces for leaving and finding fingerprints? If you do... that's a sign. Every cell in your body contains all of your DNA codes... except.... your hair. The DNA from hair comes from the skin that remains on the end when it falls from your head, or where ever else.

You know what an "epithelial" is.
In laymans terms it's a skin cell. This word is used in almost every CSI episode where there is a death involved. Epithelials show up everywhere. Did you know dust is made up of mostly ... epithelials? You shed skin cells basically every moment of your life... brushing your hair, scratching your arm... anytime you rub up against something.

You know what "BTF" and "GSR" stand for.
Blunt force trauma. Usually to the head. Where else could you hit someone so hard it kills them? I did see one episode where someone was bludgeoned in the neck which caused an electical impulse to the brain which then shut down the victims heart. GSR is gunshot residue. It stays on the clothes and hands of someone who shoots a gun. If you can decode the fancy acronyms... you've been watching too much CSI.

You know that what's not there, is just as important as what is.
Ever heard of a void? It's when there's a blank spot in a crime scene. When there's a general pattern of blood spatter (if you know what that is... too much CSI...) and there's a blank spot where there should be spatter, and the spatter can be something other than blood as well.

You know what and where defensive wounds are.
Defensive wound are exactly what they sound like. Wounds somebody sustains while defending themselves. During autopsies and body examinations all wounds on the hands and forearms are considered defensive wounds.

You know that chemicals stay put.
They stay in your blood, hair, skin, lungs, and even your bones. That's right, certain chemicals can be detected even after the rest of the body has decomposed. "Chemicals" aren't limited to actual chemicals... blood stays put as well. Blood stays and stay and stays... even after it's been wiped clean. If you really want to deactivate blood you have to use ammonia... but it doesn't make the residue go away. A black light will find it as well as that special liquid they use. The liquid turns purple or green (depending on composition) when it comes into contact with blood.

If you know these things and dozens of other forensic facts you may be watching too many forensic science/medical shows. While you may learn lots of interesting facts be sure it doesn't take over your life... or think you are more informed than you are.