Television shows such as CSI give juries unrealistic expectations of forensic evidence. Credit: CBS/J. BRUCKHEIMER TELEVISION/TOUCHSTONE TELEVISION/RONALD GRANT ARCHIVE

The US forensic-science system is fragmented, underfunded and poorly supported by research, according to a report issued by the US National Research Council on 18 February.

The judiciary system relies on forensic science to link evidence to a suspect, but only nuclear-DNA analysis has been shown to make such connections reliably, the report says. The government should create a federal agency to support research on forensic methods and establish ways to quantify uncertainty, says the council. Forensic-science practitioners should undergo mandatory certification, and laboratories should be separated from law-enforcement and prosecutors' offices.

The US Senate judiciary committee will review the report and decide on the necessary hearings and legislation, a statement from chairman Patrick Leahy (Democrat, Vermont) says. Senator and ranking Republican of the committee Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania) says it is "incumbent on Congress to pursue the report's findings".