New Tools for Forensic DNA: Keyboards and Cats
Earlier this week James Cass wrote a piece discussing forensic DNA profiling (“The Cost of Making Crime Not Pay: Obama, CODIS and Forensic DNA“). That article prompted GLR readers to write in and point out that, thanks to several recent developments, the next generation of forensic DNA investigations may increasingly involve the use of non-human DNA profiling techniques.
Last week, a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences presented research that every person – even twins whose DNA is practically identical – possesses a unique bacterial signature. It appears that traces of that bacterial signature can be recovered from household surfaces, including a computer keyboard, and potentially used to link a crime scene to a suspected criminal. The researchers’ findings are summarized in ScienceNOW (“CSI’s Latest Clue – Bacteria“).
This week, an online article at Discover Magazine, reports on research published in the journal Forensic Science International:Genetics that describes how hair or fur from household pets can be genetically profiled and used to tie suspected criminals to a crime scene. In fact, as the Discover article notes, “a man was recently convicted on second-degree murder in Canada after fur found on his discarded jacket matched that of Snowball – the victim’s cat.”
These are both further reminders that as genetic testing tools and techniques become increasingly inexpensive and widespread, the use of DNA in forensics, as in other areas, will continue to expand. And as James’s earlier article points out, there are a number of unresolved issues that must still be addressed to ensure that forensic DNA – human, feline or otherwise – is used in an accurate, responsible fashion.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.)
