How Surface Texture Affects Blood Stain Patterns video

December 19, 2014 2:32 PM

hello, i'm new to metafilter. happy to be here. this is a cool video of how surface texture affects blood stain patterns. happy friday!
posted by minhrootloop (28 comments total)

So this is how Dexter sees the world...
posted by codacorolla at 2:33 PM on December 19, 2014

Okay. Awkward.
posted by The Whelk at 2:44 PM on December 19, 2014 [6 favorites]

Slash Friday? I loved it. Thanks!
posted by msbutah at 2:50 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

This one is fun too (popped up as a suggested).
posted by cjorgensen at 2:57 PM on December 19, 2014

Kind of relieving, strangely, when they got back to glass and tile after those rough/fibrous/skittery ones.

Cool vid! Cool 1st post! Welcome!
posted by stinkfoot at 3:20 PM on December 19, 2014

10° drop angle was really very beautiful.

I'm on a list now, aren't I?
posted by benito.strauss at 3:38 PM on December 19, 2014 [5 favorites]

That was actually really interesting, thank you; and welcome from another new user.
posted by diziet at 3:44 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Hmmmm...thank you...merry Christmas...yes...
posted by oceanjesse at 3:49 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

Ten degree drop angle is my jam btw, glad I'm not alone there.

What happens when you drop blood at different angles on fresh twenty dollar bills? Crumpled twenty dollar bills?
posted by oceanjesse at 3:53 PM on December 19, 2014 [5 favorites]

First, be smart from the very beginning...
posted by desjardins at 4:14 PM on December 19, 2014 [7 favorites]

this is relevant to my interests. (what? I work on a lot of horror flicks)
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 4:17 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Okay. Awkward.

I miss Stan Chin. Did he brandnewday and I just don't know it? Memail me.
posted by leotrotsky at 5:17 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

Welcome! Come on in! Beers in the fridge. I'll be out back, in the shed.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:28 PM on December 19, 2014 [5 favorites]

Is this what they're using blood donations for? Or is it not actual blood?
posted by honor the agreement at 5:44 PM on December 19, 2014

Nothing saying it's human blood, farm animal blood is pretty easy to come by in any quantity one could realistically desire.
posted by Mitheral at 7:15 PM on December 19, 2014

Define "realistic". Define "real". Turn the overhead light out when you're done.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:15 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Clay tile is obviously the best.
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 8:17 PM on December 19, 2014

That was actually more interesting than I thought it would be. Thanks!
posted by SPrintF at 8:28 PM on December 19, 2014

I was kinda of fascinated by how much absorbance effected the shape, like you could get nitty gritty with wood vs wood shim and then BAM fabric vs. glass. Totally different dynamics.
posted by The Whelk at 9:38 PM on December 19, 2014

This is...strangely beautiful. What an interesting find!
posted by MissySedai at 10:05 PM on December 19, 2014

suddenly thirsty
posted by greenhornet at 10:47 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Is this what they're using blood donations for? Or is it not actual blood?

As a researcher, I can tell you that it is possible to get blood from Blood Services for research purposes, at least here in Australia. Also, having known a couple of people that worked at the Red Cross, if somebody donates blood but stops short of providing the full pint or whatever it is, that blood does not get used in the clinic. Usually, they use it to test their blood counting machines, but maybe that's also where "research blood" comes from.

Cool post, btw. There's something mesmerizing about watching blood. You could probably get the same effect with an artificial liquid, but I wouldn't have watched it for 4 minutes like I did this.
posted by kisch mokusch at 3:37 AM on December 20, 2014

I wonder how this is a useful tool. It seems like it would be more important for a forensic investigator to be able to conclude, "Yep, that's blood all right," instead of, "Yep, that's ceramic tile all right. I can tell by the way the blood spattered."
posted by emelenjr at 6:05 AM on December 20, 2014 [3 favorites]

emelenjr, what about visual effects? or special effects? Don't you want the blood spurting out of a murder victim in a movie to look realistic? If it's CGI, this kind of research will help the VFX artist to know how to make it look realistic. Blood isn't just something that forensic investigators worry about.
posted by MythMaker at 6:43 AM on December 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

Is this what they're using blood donations for? Or is it not actual blood?

They don't say it's human blood. I'd expect any mammalian blood to look pretty similar, possibly indistinguishable to the eye. (Just guessing, I have no actual knowledge of what they used.) But if there are any veterinarians reading, perhaps they could comment on how similar blood of different animals is.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:49 AM on December 20, 2014

emelenjr, I think it's more a matter of "I know this is ceramic tile, and I know how blood behaves when it hits ceramic tile, so at what angle and speed must the blood have struck the tile to create the pattern I'm seeing?" And that, in turn, helps you figure out how the blood got there, which is usually the ultimate goal of the exercise.
posted by McCoy Pauley at 7:50 AM on December 20, 2014 [2 favorites]

Fascinating! I felt like the last image was a memory test and I think I failed, but they were all interesting to watch. Now I have an urge to watch early episodes of CSI with William Petersen because I feel like Grissom would know all this, and more.
posted by danabanana at 10:14 AM on December 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

I wonder how many graphics artists are wishing they could put this level of detail into their games?
posted by Canageek at 6:37 PM on December 23, 2014