Tag: dna sequencing

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DNA Detectives: How scientists are using DNA from the environment to see the unseen

by Sanjana Kulkarnifigures by Swathy Karamchedu Forensic DNA testing has become crucial in criminal investigations and legal proceedings. DNA has linked people to crime scenes using hair or blood and exonerated wrongfully convicted individuals. This type of DNA is called environmental DNA (eDNA) because it is collected from the environment, rather than from a person. Scientists have also begun analyzing eDNA from non-human organisms. All … Continue reading DNA Detectives: How scientists are using DNA from the environment to see the unseen

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How Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Services Led to the Capture of the Golden State Killer

by Raehoon Jeong figures by Jovana Andrejevic Like fingerprints, each person’s DNA, or genetic code, is unique. Therefore, DNA evidence from traces like hair or blood found at crime scenes can be used to exonerate or incriminate suspects. However, DNA evidence is generally only helpful when it matches the DNA of a suspect or of someone in the FBI’s criminal database. Oftentimes, this is not … Continue reading How Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Services Led to the Capture of the Golden State Killer

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All Wound Up: DNA sequencing reveals the 3D structure of our DNA

by Gemma Johnson figures by Olivia Foster You might remember being in a biology class where molecular biology is often represented by cartoons in bright colors on the pages of a textbook. What’s happening inside our cells, however, is much more complicated than what’s depicted in those caricatures. The DNA molecules that constitute our genetic code look like a twisted ladder (the formal name is … Continue reading All Wound Up: DNA sequencing reveals the 3D structure of our DNA

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