Professor Lorna Dawson, CBE, FRSE, FRSA is a soil scientist, Head of Forensic Soil Science at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, and a visiting professor at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. She is a registered expert with the National Crime Agency, has provided over 100 reports to the Criminal Justice System in the UK and overseas, and regularly presents evidence in court. Lorna’s talk covers the important role of soil in the Criminal Justice System and provide examples of how new research can deliver to cold case investigations, including 1970's "The World's End" murders in Edinburgh, Scotland - which went unsolved for decades. It will also link to how life’s experiences can profoundly impact one's life achievements. New methods of forensic science are being developed all the time. Lorna highlights the importance of continuing to inspire young people to remain curious, as they will be the ones who come up with the important forensic developments of the future. Tweet TEDxAberdeen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tedxabz Like TEDxAberdeen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tedxabz Follow TEDxAberdeen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tedxabz/ Connect with TEDxAberdeen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tedx-aberdeen/ Visit http://www.tedxaberdeen.com/ to see more of our 2021 event, including other speaker talks and images. This talk (Soil as a Silent Witness) was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx Professor Lorna Dawson, CBE, FRSE, FRSA is a soil scientist, Head of Forensic Soil Science at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, and a visiting professor at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. She is a registered expert with the National Crime Agency, has provided over 100 reports to the Criminal Justice System in the UK and overseas, and regularly presents evidence in court. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx