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Forensic science is critical to the administration of justice. The discipline of forensic science is remarkably complex and includes methodologies ranging from DNA analysis to chemical composition to pattern recognition. Many forensic practices developed under the auspices of law enforcement and were vetted primarily by the legal system rather than being subjected to scientific scrutiny and empirical testing. Beginning in the 1990s, exonerations based on DNA-related methods revealed problems with some forensic disciplines, leading to calls for major reforms. This process generated a National Academy of Science report in 2009 that was highly critical of many forensic practices and eventually led to the establishment of the National Commission for Forensic Science (NCFS) in 2013. The NCFS was a deliberative body that catalyzed communication between nonforensic scientists, forensic scientists, and other stakeholders in the legal community. In 2017, despite continuing problems with forensic science, the Department of Justice terminated the NCFS. Just when forensic science needs the most support, it is getting the least. We urge the larger scientific community to come to the aid of our forensic colleagues by advocating for urgently needed research, testing, and financial support.

In an earlier paper it has been shown(1) that excised pea embryos of the variety "Perfection" may be satisfactorily grown upon sterile nutrient medium, particularly if various "accessory growth factors" of known chemical composition are provided. It was shown that there are at least four of these growth factors, one of which is ascorbic acid. It is ascorbic acid with which the present communication is particularly concerned.

It was shown by Went(7) that leaf growth in etiolated pea seedlings is primarily controlled by substances supplied from the cotyledons. Vein growth is controlled by auxin,(2) while growth of the mesophyll is independent of auxin, and it is the factors concerned in the growth of the latter which we will discuss in this paper. In a recent paper(3) a bio-assay for these factors was described in detail, as well as a variety of sources, and so will be discussed only briefly here.