Countdown to 2017: Internal Validation of the New CODIS Loci
Written by: Carolyn Steffen, Erica Romsos, Michael Coble, and Peter Vallone The original core set of 13 Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci were selected in November 1997 and are required by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for upload of DNA profiles to the U.S. national DNA […]
Toward Validation and Implementation of the MiSeq FGx Forensic Genomics System
Submitted by Illumina Advances in massively parallel sequencing (MPS) and bioinformatics can now deliver more insight from forensic DNA samples than traditional methods have offered. Targeted MPS genotyping provides the highest resolution (at the nucleotide level) than ever before possible. MPS, also known as next generation sequencing (NGS), routinely provides economical, large volume sequencing to […]
The Living Disappeared
Submitted by: Alexa Barrett Last summer, an unprecedented number of unaccompanied children were crossing the U.S./Mexican border. The number of children crossing had grown to 54,000 in 2014, a drastic jump from the 25,000 that had crossed the year before. As detention centers overflowed, researchers, politicians, and humanitarians, began searching for ways […]
The Importance of Leadership Training in the Forensic Field
Laboratory management is a responsibility for which many forensic professionals are not fully prepared. Management and leadership education that is targeted specifically to forensic professionals is crucial to better equip forensic managers to succeed in the complex environment of a crime laboratory. Written by: Martina Bison‐Huckaby, Director of the Center for Executive Education at […]
ISHI 29 Brings Us Back to Phoenix, Arizona!
If you’re like us, you’re ready for the cold of winter to end, which has us thinking ahead to the 29th International Symposium on Human Identification, which will be held in Phoenix, Arizona! If you’ve never been to Phoenix, think of red rocks, blue sky, desert landscape, and golden sunshine. Written by: Tara Luther, […]
Returning the Stolen
Argentina is probably not the first place that comes to mind when you think of dictatorships, yet the “Dirty War” of the late 1970s killed 10,000–30,000 citizens in an act of political repression by the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance. Among this figure includes some 13,000 people who disappeared overnight, sent to a network of hundreds of […]
Discovering the Truth About the Dozier School for Boys
The Dozier School for Boys had cemeteries instead of playgrounds. Written by: Greg Emmerich, Promega Corporation The stories of abuse that took place at the reformative school in Marianna, Florida are nothing short of a plot for the TV series American Horror Story. The beatings and other punishments administered to students throughout the school’s […]
A NEW ERA FOR CRIME SCENE SAMPLE COLLECTION DEVICES
As the field of forensic science continues to progress, an important part of this advancement still depends and should depend on sampling collection procedures, which are fundamental to successful analysis of DNA evidence. The need to deploy better performing and more robust evidence examination tools is undoubtedly a major focus; but there should be considerations […]
Every Cell Has A Story To Tell™
Crime scene investigation requires collection and analysis of biological evidence for DNA genotyping. Blood, sperm, and epithelial evidence left behind by perpetrators can help investigators acquire a genetic profile of the person who committed the crime. Submitted by: Menarini Silicon Biosystems A problem occurs when a single evidence sample consists of biological fluids […]
