Adrian Linacre and his team, of Flinders University in Australia, have been the first group to get DNA from a single hair--- not from extraction though. This team used free DNA that is found floating in loose material and copied the DNA using standard lab procedures (such as PCR).
Why is this a new, vital part of forensic science? They can completely skip DNA extraction when using free DNA causing much less problems. Also, they are able to pull free DNA from small samples that would usually get lost during extraction.
Just how available is free DNA at crime scenes? As stated before, it can be found on a single strand of hair. It can also be found on fabric that has been touched with sweat for only 15 seconds. Imagine all the other possible places it will be found in the future and what this means for forensics and the criminal justice system!
Here is the link, it is a very short article:
This could also cut down cost in labs by not having the extra step of extracting. I had to take a double take on this article. In the free DNA, can they process out the other DNA, such as someone who was not at the crime scence but had contact with the fabric or hair?
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DeleteHmm that's a good question. I would assume that they would get multiple hits of DNA from certain items and have to sort out who it belongs to along with what their affiliation to the scene is.
What?? Crazy. I wondered if this technique significantly increases risk of CS contamination, rather than lab contamination (which of course occurs more readily, but is also easier to identify). The study didn't evidence of contamination, but did they put their samples through the same contamination hazards that real evidence endures? I'm not sure, because I'm not a CSI. I
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that they didn't. Maybe introducing contamination issues, common to crime scenes, will be the next step in their research?
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