Jul 20 2018
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!
The Bloodstains on The Shroud Of Turin are Probably Fake, Say Forensic Experts (BuzzFeed News – 7/14/2018)
The Shroud of Turin, long considered by some to be the burial cloth of Jesus, has inconsistent bloodstain patterns that suggest it is a fake, a new forensic investigation has found.
Arrest Made in 30-Year-Old Child Murder in Indiana After DNA Match (ABC News – 7/16/2018)
Investigators said they arrested Miller after using a genealogy database to narrow down the DNA match to either him or his brother. The DNA was taken from the used condoms and evidence from the crime scenes, according to court documents.
Fresh DNA Tests Authenticate Bones of Russia Tsar, Family (Phys Org – 7/16/2018)
- Fresh genetic tests on bones of Russia’s last tsar and his family murdered a century ago have confirmed their authenticity, investigators said Monday.
Potential DNA Damage from CRISPR “Seriously Underestimated,” Study Finds (Scientific American – 7/16/2018)
Research published on Monday suggests that’s only the tip of a Titanic-sized iceberg: CRISPR-Cas9 can cause significantly greater genetic havoc than experts thought, the study concludes, perhaps enough to threaten the health of patients who would one day receive CRISPR-based therapy.
Florida’s Only ‘Body Farm’ Helps Investigators Study Human Remains, Solve Crimes (NBC 2 – 7/16/2018)
It provides investigators with a unique opportunity to better understand what happens to a body in our unique climate, including the burning-hot sun, torrential rains, and scavenging animals.
Oklahoma Rape Kit Testing Could Cost at Least $9.5M (Forensic Magazine – 7/17/2018)
The estimates were provided in a June 29 report by a statewide task force examining the issue. The actual cost could be different because officials haven’t formally decided how to test the kits or how many to test, and the task force recommends some kits not be tested, the Oklahoman reported.
When a DNA Test Shatters Your Identity (The Atlantic – 7/17/2018)
- St Clair went looking for more people to talk to. She looked for support groups. She found none. So, being the type to take things in her own hands, St Clair started a group on Facebook called DNA NPE Friends, where NPE refers to “not parent expected.”
‘This is Just the Beginning’: Using DNA and Genealogy to Crack Years-Old Cold Cases (NBC News – 7/18/2018)
- Police are harnessing consumer DNA sites to solve old murders, which could spur a massive clearing of unsolved crimes.
UK Regulator Notes ‘An Almost Existential Threat’ to Forensic Science (Forensic Magazine – 7/19/2018)
- The “tabloid-style crisis narrative” that has developed from a recent run of scandals and setbacks is nonetheless distracting from the progress being made, according to the United Kingdom’s Forensic Science Regulator Gillian Tully, in an op-ed recently published by Forensic Science International.
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