Aug 03 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!
How DNA and a Tattoo Led to Charges in Cold R.I. Murder Case (Providence Journal – 7/27/2018)
To crack a cold case, the Woonsocket police used cutting-edge forensic DNA phenotyping and genetic genealogy for the first time — and within weeks, connected two men to the brutal murder of a woman stabbed more than 60 times two years ago.
Canada Using DNA, Ancestry Websites to Investigate Migrants (Reuters – 7/27/2018)
- Canadian immigration officials are using DNA testing and ancestry websites to try to establish the nationality of migrants, the Canada Border Services Agency said on Friday.CBSA spokesman Jayden Robertson said the agency uses DNA testing to determine identity of “longer-term detainees” when other techniques have been exhausted.
How DNA and Other Methods are Used in Identifying Deceased US Troops (CNN – 7/27/2018)
- North Korea has turned over what they say are an initial 55 cases holding remains believed to be of US troops killed during the Korean War.
- After an initial assessment at an air base in South Korea, the remains will be flown to a US military laboratory in Hawaii for DNA analysis for what could be a lengthy and challenging process of identifying the remains and returning them to families.
Ancestry, 23andMe and Others Say They Will Follow These Rules When Giving DNA Data to Businesses or Police (The Washington Post – 7/31/2018)
Under the new guidelines, the companies said they would obtain consumers’ “separate express consent” before turning over their individual genetic information to businesses and other third parties, including insurers. They also said they would disclose the number of law-enforcement requests they receive each year.
Solving the Somerton Man Mystery, Australia’s Most Baffling Cold Case (c|net – 7/31/2018)
Forensic advances are poised to answer questions that have gripped Down Under for 70 years.
You Can Run, but Your DNA Can’t Hide (GEN – 8/1/2018)
DNA profiling has come a long way since its debut in 1986, but in many ways, it’s still in its infancy. Here are four ways researchers are breaking new ground with forensic uses of genetic analysis.
NIST Publishes Landmark MIX13 DNA Study (Forensic Magazine – 8/2/2018)
“NIST Interlaboratory Studies Involving DNA Mixtures (MIX05 and MIX13): Variation Observed and Lessons Learned” was published open-access online by Forensic Science International: Genetics this week—potentially making the problems with DNA mixture interpretation easier to cite by defense experts, and even prosecutors.
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