Can Neurodegenerative Disease Be Revealed Through NGS for Forensic DNA Typing?
This project sought to investigate if neurodegenerative disease can be revealed using a forensic DNA typing assay using next-generation sequencing (NGS). The forensic markers utilized for the identification of individuals were, in part, chosen because they are within noncoding regions of the genome. These noncoding regions were designed to be free of any additional […]
In the Bones: How DNA Identification Helps to Bring Closure to Families of Migrants Missing on the U.S.-Mexico Border
Today’s blog is written by guest blogger Rebekah Zemansky. Reposted from The ISHI Report with permission. “We’ve been told that current crossings are down, so deaths are going to be down,” Dr. Bruce Anderson says. “We’ve not been under a hundred and forty deaths in a calendar year in a decade.” Anderson has […]
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! DNA Links Southern California Man to 1981 Killings of 2 Women: […]
Manually Degraded SNP Microarray Data on GEDmatch Top Matches for Forensic Genetic Genealogy
Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) has recently become a valuable tool in the forensic science community and is having a great impact on the resolution of unresolved cases, including homicides, sexual assaults, and Unidentified Human Remains (UHRs) cases. FGG employs SNP sequence data uploaded to genetic genealogy databases (i.e., FamilyTreeDNA® and GEDmatch PRO®) to identify […]
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 Should Scientists Navigate the Ethics of Ancient Human DNA Research? […]
Match Probabilities for Next Generation Sequencing Data of Forensic Autosomal STR Markers
Today’s guest blog is written by Sanne Aalbers, University of Washington Department of Biostatistics Forensic genetics is concerned with the matching of genetic profiles from evidence and from persons of interest. Match probabilities are usually obtained on a single-locus basis and combined over markers by multiplying over loci. However, this approach assumes that 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 Tools Seek to Aid Evidence Gathering in Rape Cases (Forensic […]
Neanderthal DNA and Modern Humans: Svante Pääbo Receives the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Today’s guest blog is written by Ken Doyle, a Science Writer with Promega. Reposted from the Promega Connections blog with permission. What makes humans “human”? On October 3, 2022, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet announced the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine had been awarded to Svante Pääbo, director of the Department of Genetics […]
Identifying Missing Persons Globally through Family DNA Kinship Matching
The identification of human remains belonging to missing persons is one of the main challenges for forensic genetics. Although other means of identification can be applied to missing person investigations, DNA is often extremely valuable to further support or refute potential associations. When reference DNA samples cannot be collected from personal items belonging to a […]
