Solving crimes with DNA evidence: Fact and fiction

evidence

Crime dramas are an entertainment staple across the world. But as DNA becomes a more powerful tool for identifying the guilty,…it is essential, argues UK charity Sense About Science, that public and professional expectations of the technology are based in reality and not TV crime fiction.

Which is why the organisation has published a new guide called Making Sense of Forensic Genetics, which challenges unrealistic perceptions of DNA evidence, and explains where the big differences between reality and fiction lie.

For example, your DNA is found at a crime scene. How did it get there? In CSI or Law and Order, that would immediately imply guilt. But in reality, we all shed DNA into our environments all the time.

Data privacy is just as critical a topic for forensics as it is for health databases…According to Making Sense of Forensic Genetics: “Some people have argued that if everyone in a country were held on a national DNA database, far more crimes would be solved, but many are opposed to this idea on the grounds of personal privacy and human dignity.”

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: What can DNA tell you about a crime?

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