CAN PEEL a person's face apart in 90 seconds," said the well-dressed woman holding tongs, "but I can't get a quesadilla out of here." It had been a long day at the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Science. At the private reception in Pavilion 5, the food had gone quickly. All that remained was an unappetizing pile of quesadillas, stubbornly stuck together in their stainless steel buffet tray. As she leaned in to dislodge a clump of tortilla and cheese, the woman's conference badge revealed that she worked in a medical examiner's office. Her ID hung from a blue lanyard adorned with the iconic retro sign that greets visitors to town: "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada."

We were deep in the bowels of the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. It was late February — just 24 hours after Donald Trump's victory speech following the GOP caucuses in Nevada. As pundits and political operatives left Sin City, thousands of scientists, lawyers, and academics had arrived for nearly a full week of wall-to-wall panels and PowerPoint presentations by top forensic experts from around the globe.