A Mystery from the 1800’s and Justice for Jennifer – Interesting Cases from ISHI 24
The Interesting Cases section during the 24th International Symposium on Human Identification in Atlanta, GA showcased the power of DNA in two different ways. First, through a joint effort between Mitotyping Technologies and the Smithsonian, a boy from the 1850s was given back his identity. Second, a Detective from Texas and a Special Agent with […]
Study Shows Delaying Handgun Purchases Reduces Fatalities
It’s no secret that the United States leads the way in gun-related deaths each year. In fact, guns cause more than 33,000 deaths each year. For reference, this is roughly the same number of people who die from car accidents in the United States, but in Japan dying from a gunshot carries the same odds […]
This Week in Forensic Science
No one has hours to scour the papers to keep up with the latest news, so we’ve curated the top news stories in the field of Forensic Science for this week. Here’s what you need to know to get out the door! CSI Effect is a Myth: Forensic Detective Series Do Not Make Criminals […]
Direct Amplification of Blood on Crime Scene Substrates using QIAGEN Investigator ® 24plex GO!
Autosomal Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Analysis is a common molecular technique performed widely in forensic and genetic labs. STRs are short nucleotide DNA sequences that are repeated a specific number of times among individuals, and can easily be amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). This allows STR analysis to be an essential technique for human […]
This Week in Forensic Science
No one has hours to scour the papers to keep up with the latest news, so we’ve curated the top news stories in the field of Forensic Science for this week. Here’s what you need to know to get out the door! OCDA Rapid DNA Program Catches Serial Thief with Blood Left at Garden […]
Mo Loci, Mo Problems: An Evaluation of Outside Marker Range Alleles in Megaplex Kits
The expanded set of loci in megaplex kits facilitate increased confidence in database matches. However, with the addition of more loci in a limited number of dye channels and smaller amplicons comes new concerns. Our laboratory has observed a number of alleles that are designated as outside marker range (OMR) or appear to fall into […]
15 Headlines Making News in Forensic Science During 2017
From the signing of the Rapid DNA Act and updates on the rape kit backlog to an increased push for familial searching and a deeper look at mixture analysis software, forensic science has been top of mind in the media during 2017. Let’s take a look back on some of the biggest headlines of the […]
This Week in Forensic Science
No one has hours to scour the papers to keep up with the latest news, so we’ve curated the top news stories in the field of Forensic Science for this week. Here’s what you need to know to get out the door! New York City Moves to Create Accountability for Algorithms (Forensic Magazine – […]
Reducing Sexual Assault Kit Backlogs Using an Automated Protocol
Sorenson Forensics is a high-throughput private laboratory that processes hundreds of cases every day. Much of our workload comes from backlogged sexual assault collection kits from across the country. We “Y Screen” almost every piece of evidence in a kit, looking for presence of male DNA in female source samples. Unfortunately for our lab, our […]