Forensic DNA profiling might be about to take a big leap forward. Are we ready?

by Guest Sat Feb 11, 2017 7:31 pm

Picture the scene. A detective is addressing her team:

“The DNA test results are in. We’re looking for a white male suspect, 34–37 years old, born in the summer in a temperate climate. He’s used cocaine in the past. His mother smoked, but he doesn’t. He drinks heavily, like his Dad. We’re seeing high stress levels, and looking at the air pollution markers, let’s start looking downtown, probably near a major intersection”.

Science fiction? Yes, for now. But advances in epigenetics – the study of reversible chemical modifications to chromosomes that play a role in determining which genes are activated in which cells – might soon start making their way out of research labs and into criminal forensics facilities.

Take the idea of the epigenetic clock, one of the ways in which our cells and DNA can betray our age. Epigenetic patterns change throughout our lives, along broadly predictable paths, making it possible to infer age from DNA samples.

Steve Horvath at UCLA has developed a statistical model based on 350 potential epigenetic modification positions in the human genome that can estimate your age to within three and a half years. The rate of epigenetic aging seems to depend somewhat on race, and can be affected by some health conditions, but this kind of test is already at the stage when forensics labs are validating it for use in criminal investigations.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2017/feb/06/forensic-dna-profiling-might-be-about-to-take-a-big-leap-forward-are-we-ready-epigenetics

by 'Wolfie Sun Feb 12, 2017 1:54 pm

Forensic DNA profiling might be about to take a big leap forward. Are we ready? 479860004

WHILE such extreme genetic profiling would have it's place in more serious crimes, such as murder and sexual assaults, it will still be relatively expensive to get down to such fine details...
And that level of results won't be likely to be delivered in mere hours..

I reckon it will be a well-funded police department that can afford to make such a sophisticated technology a regular part of everyday policing ?

Forensic DNA profiling might be about to take a big leap forward. Are we ready?

Forensic DNA profiling might be about to take a big leap forward. Are we ready?

Re: Forensic DNA profiling might be about to take a big leap forward. Are we ready?