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DNA Forensics

DNA Forensics

Ronnee Yashon and Michael R. Cummings

MOMENTUM PRESS, LLC, NEW YORK


DNA Forensics

Copyright © Momentum Press, LLC, 2019.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,


stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other
except for brief quotations, not to exceed 400 words, without the prior
permission of the publisher.

First published in 2019 by


Momentum Press, LLC
222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017
www.momentumpress.net

ISBN-13: 978-1-94664-638-5 (paperback)


ISBN-13: 978-1-94664-639-2 (e-book)

Momentum Press Human Genetics and Society C


­ ollection

Cover and interior design by Exeter Premedia Services Private Ltd.,


Chennai, India

First edition: 2019

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in the United States of America.


Abstract
This book reveals amazing examples of what has and is happening with
science and DNA forensics. The public now knows the DNA ­molecule
by sight and how it can assist in solving crimes such as murder and
­sexual assaults.
The authors demonstrate how DNA forensics has developed over the
years. DNA has assisted in finding criminals and releasing those who were
wrongly accused, including prisoners on death row and a few who were
already executed!

Keywords
Red blood cells; nucleus; lysis; precipitation; coding; loci; CODIS; short
tandem repeats (STR); RFLP; Frye test; silicon; agent orange; causation;
DNA dragnet; familial DNA; evidence; PCR (polymerase chain reac-
tion); paternity; punitive; mammoth
Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction.....................................................................1
Chapter 2 How Do Scientists View DNA?.......................................3
Chapter 3 Legal History...................................................................9
Chapter 4 The Beginning of an Era.................................................13
Chapter 5 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and the
Nobel Prize....................................................................17
Chapter 6 Other Uses for DNA Forensics.......................................21
Chapter 7 Problems........................................................................25
Chapter 8 Ethics and Law...............................................................27
Chapter 9 DNA Collection and Databases.....................................31
Chapter 10 The Innocence Project....................................................35

Appendix A: Blood Typing Versus DNA��������������������������������������������������41


Appendix B: The Use of Databases���������������������������������������������������������43
Bibliography�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������45
About the Authors���������������������������������������������������������������������������������47
Index���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������49
CHAPTER 1

Introduction
Originally, science did not make its way into everyday life very often.
Only scientists and physicians read journals, and the public only came
in contact with scientific facts when they were personally affected. Today,
however, science bombards us from everywhere, and courts are no excep-
tion. As everything from frozen embryos to the rights of those medically
“brain dead” are decided in court, and our laws begin to regulate ­science,
these decisions become very crucial.
Thus, we need to know and understand these cases and the science
behind them.
As we move into the future, science will present itself in the courts
even more. As the individual decisions made in everyday life become
­difficult, courts will have to step in to make these decisions easier for us.
Understanding the cases in this book and their background, will help
us to understand the future as well.

Questions (in italics) are scattered throughout the following


­chapters, watch for them and think about how they apply to you
(and others).
2 DNA Forensics

Timeline
When DNA testing first began, blood samples were needed to analyze
the living cells (white blood cells), but today, smaller and smaller samples
(skin cells, cells left in a fingerprint, a swab from inside the cheek, or a
piece of bone left in a body long dead) are being used.
Things have evolved even further where DNA can be extracted from
just a single cell or a fingerprint.

1985-1990 1990-1999 2000-2010 2011-present

23 and
me begins
PCR was used for Ancestry testing
1996: Helps ID a
1984 Jeffries does testing small
National Academy serial killer
first blot amounts of DNA
of Sciences Say DNA
1985 chromosome evidence Leading to: Iceland
is reliable Low copy DNA genome
1986; COLIN 1994 Touch DNA
PITCHFORK Romanoff
1993 Old stored DNA
murder bones found
Kary Mullis
1987: developed Test for paternity DNA facial
Tommy LeeAndrews PCR sold in pharmacies formation
First US case Nobel prize CF gene located
for chemistry
CODUS
first DNA
database
First innocence
Project

Figure 1.1  Timeline of DNA forensics

The timeline above shows the development of this technique.


Index
actual coding genes, 4 Genetics Institute, Inc., 28
agent orange, 12
Innocence Project, 35–39
blood typing versus DNA, 41–42
Jeffreys, Alec, 13
case(s)
Cameron Willingham, 39 loci, 5
Central Park Five, 38 lysis, 3
Claus von Bulow, 37
Colin Pitchfork, 13–16 mammoth, 18
Gary Dotson, 36 Marston, William, 9
causation, 12 Moore Cell Line, 28
coding, 4, 43 Moore, John, 28
CODIS, 5 Mullis, Kary, 17
cold cases, 32–33
courtroom misconduct, 32
nucleus, 3
databases, use of, 43–44
paternity, 22–23
Daubert v. Merrill-Dow, 12
testing, 33
death penalty cases, 33
PCR (polymerase chain reaction),
DNA
17–19, 23
collection, 31
precipitation, 3–4
dragnet, 14
punitive, 22
floating freely in alcohol, 4
separation, 3–4
versus older methods, 16 Red blood cells, 3
DNA forensics RFLP, 5
timeline of, 2 RLC Cell Line, 28
uses for, 21–22 Roy Criner case, 36
DNA testing, problems with, 15,
25–26 Sandoz Corporation, 28
short tandem repeats (STR), 5
familial DNA, 14, 18 silicon, 12
Frye test, 9–11 systolic blood pressure deception
Frye v. United States, 9–11 test, 9

general acceptance rule, 10 U.S. Patent Office, 28

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