Double Loop Podcast

Glenn Langenburg and Eric Ray
  • 4.7 (73)
  • NATURAL SCIENCES
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY

Whether you're a practicing Latent Print Examiner or you're interested in forensics and true crime, the Double Loop Podcast is a weekly show featuring Glenn Langenburg and Eric Ray discussing latent print topics, current events in forensic science, the newest research articles, interesting guests, and analysis of notable cases from a forensic scientist perspective.

  1. Episode 285 - Michael Whyte Interview - Latent to Latent Comparisons

    AUG 12

    Episode 285 - Michael Whyte Interview - Latent to Latent Comparisons

    In this episode, the guys start with a product-based Mandela effect question.  Then they welcome back long-time friend of the show and webmaster, Michael Whyte from the New South Wales police force in Australia.  Michael has a question for Glenn and Eric, regarding latent-to-latent comparisons, using latent prints as 'proxy exemplars' when the exemplars are worse than the latent prints or incomplete, and various off-shoots of these questions.  The guys discuss the theoretical basis and some of the legal issues that arise in both the U.S. and Australia.

    1h 8m
  2. Episode 284 - Black Box '22 - Part 2 (with Brendan Max)

    JUL 28

    Episode 284 - Black Box '22 - Part 2 (with Brendan Max)

    In this episode, Eric stumps Glenn with a geography based Mandela Effect question. Then the guys welcome their guest commentator, Brendan Max, Public Defender and Chief of the Forensic Science Division in Chicago, Illinois. Eric, Glenn, and Brendan take a second look at the 2025 FBI/Noblis follow-up black box study for latent fingerprints. The guys had previously done a cursory review of the paper in Episode 282, and now wanted to dig in a bit into the appendices and take another look at some trends. Brendan offers his insights and shows that he’s pretty proficient with a spreadsheet too! The guys go back and forth discussing the strengths and limitations of the study and where the methodology and practice has likely improved since the original Black Box study (conducted in 2009). Article is available for free at: doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112457

    1h 29m
  3. Episode 283 - DNA & Patterns

    MAY 26

    Episode 283 - DNA & Patterns

    Glenn Langenburg and Eric Ray review two articles from Cell that focus on the genetic basis for ridge development and pattern formation. 'The developmental basis of fingerprint pattern formation and variation' by Glover, et al., and 'Limb development genes underlie variation in human fingerprint patterns' by Li, et al. Our understanding of these complex processes continues to grow, and these papers further support our field and our conclusions.

    1h 10m
  4. Episode 282 - Noblis-FBI Black Box 2 Fingerprint Study

    MAY 10

    Episode 282 - Noblis-FBI Black Box 2 Fingerprint Study

    In this episode, Glenn and Eric start with a quick game of “A Truth, A Lie, and a Mandella Effect”. Then they pose a question from a listener regarding interest in a forum where listeners can go and discuss the episodes of the show, ask questions, and chat “amongst themselves”. Finally they get to the long awaited Noblis/FBI study “Black Box 2” latent fingerprint error rate study. This is a re-do of the 2011 black box study for latent fingerprint performance. This study “Accuracy and reproducibility of latent print decisions on comparisons from searches of an automated fingerprint identification system” by Hicklin, Richetelli, Taylor and Buscaglia (For Sci Intl, 370 (2025), 112457), reported the performance of 156 U.S. latent print examiner participants each reviewing about 100 latent prints/comparisons resulting in over 14,000 trials. The study reports numerous statistics of performance such as sensitivity (63%), specificity (70%), false positive error rate (0.2%), and false negative error rate (4.2%). The guys also discuss some important study design differences, plus there are a lot of data in the appendices. Finally they talk about the number of false positives made in the study (n=23) and the fact that 13 of those 23 were made by one participant and how that impacted the results. Article is available for free at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112457

    1h 23m
  5. Episode 281 Kasey Wertheim Tribute

    APR 6

    Episode 281 Kasey Wertheim Tribute

    Eric Ray and Glenn Langenburg pay tribute to our colleague and friend. Kasey Wertheim passed away on March 7, 2025 and will be greatly missed. Please join us as we remember his legacy and contributions to the field of fingerprints and tell a few personal stories.

    1h 1m
  6. Episode 280 - Pat Wertheim Tribute

    MAR 21

    Episode 280 - Pat Wertheim Tribute

    Eric Ray and Glenn Langenburg pay tribute to our mentor and friend. Pat Wertheim recently passed and will be greatly missed. Please join us as we remember his legacy and tell a few stories.

    1h 17m
  7. Episode 279 - Simultaneous Impressions

    MAR 16

    Episode 279 - Simultaneous Impressions

    In this episode Glenn and Eric catch up after some hectic travel from recent weather issues. They do some news updates and also Eric had advice for new Patreon subscribers. Then they play an Oscar-themed round of “A Truth, a Lie, and a Mandela Effect” because it is the weekend of the 2025 Oscars. Then the guys tackle a topic which has come up many times in the past, but they’ve never actually dived into before: Simultaneous Impressions. They talk about different scenarios that can occur such as: some impressions stand alone, none stand alone, aggregation of features, and physical gaps or voids in an impression. They review the famous Mass v. Patterson case from 2005 that started the initial controversy in the field. They also have a chance to discuss John Black’s JFI research article from 2006 and other source material on the subject. Reference: Black, J.P. Pilot Study: The Application of ACE-V to Simultaneous (Cluster) Impressions. Journal of Forensic Identification, 56(6) Dated: November/December 2006 Pages: 933-971.

    1h 19m
  8. Episode 278 - Aussie Paper on Examiner Disagreements

    MAR 3

    Episode 278 - Aussie Paper on Examiner Disagreements

    In this first recorded episode of 2025, Eric and Glenn start with Eric being pedantic in his “A Truth, A Lie, and a Mandela Effect”. The guys catch up on New Year stuff and then launch into a review of a research paper from New South Wales, Australia, titled “How often do fingerprint examiners disagree in routine casework?” by O’Connor and Chapman (2024) from Forensic Science International. Eric first discusses some of the important differences in casework workflow and conclusions between Aussie examiners and U.S. examiners. Then they discuss the results of the paper and the significance of the findings. At the end, they discuss solutions and ideas for resolving conflict and ultimately find that conflicting results and examiner disagreements are a normal, expected, natural part of the examination process. Find the paper at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112139

    1h 3m
See All (151)

4.7
out of 5
73 Ratings

About

Whether you're a practicing Latent Print Examiner or you're interested in forensics and true crime, the Double Loop Podcast is a weekly show featuring Glenn Langenburg and Eric Ray discussing latent print topics, current events in forensic science, the newest research articles, interesting guests, and analysis of notable cases from a forensic scientist perspective.

Information

  • Creator
    Glenn Langenburg and Eric Ray
  • Years Active
    2013 - 2025
  • Episodes
    151
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (c) Double Loop Forensics
  • Show Website
    Double Loop Podcast

You Might Also Like