Daily Archives: February 13, 2014

Richard III’s DNA decoded: Scientists to sequence King in car park’s genome

Posted on February 13, 2014 by | Comments Off on Richard III’s DNA decoded: Scientists to sequence King in car park’s genome

Richard 3London (CNN) — Scientists are to sequence the entire genome of Richard III — the King found buried beneath an English car parking lot — in an attempt to discover once and for all what the long-missing monarch really looked like.
Experts hope the project will reveal the color of Richard’s hair and eyes, and uncover the genetic markers for any health conditions he suffered, or might have been at risk of, had he not been killed, aged just 32, at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

Comments Off on Richard III’s DNA decoded: Scientists to sequence King in car park’s genome

Posted in Ancient DNA

Member of Pink Panther jewel-thief gang arrested in Spain

Posted on February 13, 2014 by | Comments Off on Member of Pink Panther jewel-thief gang arrested in Spain

Pink1Borko Ilincic, who is wanted for a string of high-profile and daring robberies across the world, is being held by Spanish police after being arrested leaving a hotel in a rental car
…After fleeing, the robbers then torched their getaway vehicles in a bid to destroy evidence, but Dubai police were still able to recover DNA samples…

Comments Off on Member of Pink Panther jewel-thief gang arrested in Spain

Posted in Cold Cases

Ancient Skeletons Dug Up at Florence’s Uffizi

Posted on February 13, 2014 by | Comments Off on Ancient Skeletons Dug Up at Florence’s Uffizi

Fort Unburied SkeletonsWork to expand the Uffizi Gallery’s exhibit space has unearthed an ancient cemetery with dozens of skeletons archaeologists say might have been victims of the plague or some other epidemic that swept through Florence during the 4th or 5th century.

Comments Off on Ancient Skeletons Dug Up at Florence’s Uffizi

Posted in Ancient DNA

Rape Kit Backlog Plan Outlined

Posted on February 13, 2014 by | Comments Off on Rape Kit Backlog Plan Outlined

sexual assault kitsAs Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. announced Wednesday, Feb. 12, that the city would have help from a national nonprofit on the Memphis Police Department’s backlog of 12,000 rape kits, criticism was growing of the problems in the local criminal justice system that led to the backlog.
The backlog, according to Memphis police, began building steadily in 1985 as investigators using the kits took DNA samples from rape victims and police stored them without ever processing them

Comments Off on Rape Kit Backlog Plan Outlined

Posted in Backlogs

JusticeTrax® Unveils LIMS-plus DNA Forensic Science Laboratory Software

Posted on February 13, 2014 by | Comments Off on JusticeTrax® Unveils LIMS-plus DNA Forensic Science Laboratory Software

dark helixJusticeTrax LIMS-plus DNA is a stand-alone DNA software application designed to reduce DNA backlogs by automating forensic sample processing for both forensic science casework and databanks.

Comments Off on JusticeTrax® Unveils LIMS-plus DNA Forensic Science Laboratory Software

Posted in New ID Technologies

A crash course in Missouri’s first use of DNA in a criminal case

Posted on February 13, 2014 by | Comments Off on A crash course in Missouri’s first use of DNA in a criminal case

DNA GraphicMany people might not realize that the first time a killer was convicted using DNA evidence in Missouri was here in Columbia.
Although the use of DNA in criminal prosecutions and forensic science is relatively new — dating to the mid- to late-1980s — its evolution has progressed so rapidly that it’s become one of the most reliable tools for investigators seeking to establish a suspect’s identity or rule out someone.

Comments Off on A crash course in Missouri’s first use of DNA in a criminal case

Posted in Forensic Industry News

Gov. Phil Bryant supports collecting DNA after certain arrests

Posted on February 13, 2014 by | Comments Off on Gov. Phil Bryant supports collecting DNA after certain arrests

DNA Helix StructureJACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said Tuesday that he supports proposals to require collection of DNA from people arrested and charged with violent crimes such as murder.

Comments Off on Gov. Phil Bryant supports collecting DNA after certain arrests

Posted in DNA Legislation

Oldest Burial Yields DNA Evidence of First Americans

Posted on February 13, 2014 by | Comments Off on Oldest Burial Yields DNA Evidence of First Americans

Clovis eraDNA harvested from the remains of an infant buried 13,000 years ago confirms that the earliest widespread culture in North America was descended from humans who crossed over to the New World from Asia, scientists say.

Comments Off on Oldest Burial Yields DNA Evidence of First Americans

Posted in Ancestry, Ancient DNA