Fibers are a common type of forensic trace evidence and can be used to link a suspect, scene and victim. But the general presence and composition of fibers prevents the specificity that detectives and crime scenes techs crave. Could a new statistical analysis called Lasso increase the evidentiary value of fibers? Continue reading Tying it all together: Lasso statistical analysis brings new power to fiber evidence

Can geneticists reconstruct the physical characteristics of an individual’s face from their DNA? Continue reading Building a “Face” from DNA

Traditionally, capillary electrophoresis is used to observe and detect STRs for the analysis of DNA profiles. Biotechnologists research massively parallel sequencing of STRs to increase throughput generating sequences for DNA profiles faster and more efficiently. Continue reading Back to the Future: Advances in DNA Analysis Using Massively Parallel Sequencing

DNA is used to obtain information about an individual’s identity from all types of materials to aid in investigations from missing persons to homicides. But what goes into how we get the DNA from sources found at a crime scene into generating a DNA profile? Continue reading Behind the Scenes: DNA Processing

Pharmaceutical companies are rolling out “tamper-resistant” medicines- but how do their claims stack up to reality? Continue reading Breaking the Bad: can medical companies prevent criminals from making drugs?

Biochemists optimize direct PCR to cut down on sample manipulation and preparation time, obtaining full profiles with minimal effort. Continue reading Just a “Touch” of DNA Gives Full Identification of Skin Cell Donor