Forensic Updates

People in a funeral ceremony in a countryside. The Vietnam War was a deadly quagmire for the United States and its military. But for Vietnam itself, it was a national tragedy that ripped apart families and villages. To this day, some half million soldiers and civilians remain missing, lost in the fog of a war that ended more than 40 years ago. Now a massive effort to identify the unknown, and lay the dead to rest is set to begin. A German testing company named Bioglobe struck a deal with the Vietnamese government last month, and the world’s largest DNA sequencing project ever will start in March. “This highly sensitive project is a special challenge for us,” said Wolfgang Hoppner, the CEO of Bioglobe. “We are confident that we can arrange it successfully.” The International Commission on Missing Persons will also be part of the venture, according to a report in the journal Nature. The ICMP was founded in 1996 to help identify an estimated 40,000 person who were kille

Protein identification technique may be used in forensics, archaeology Unique protein markers in hair could be used alongside DNA profiling for human identification, according to a study published September 7, 2016, in the open-access journal  PLOS ONE  by Glendon Parker from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA, and colleagues. DNA profiling is commonly used for identification in forensic science and archaeology because DNA is unique to each individual. However, environmental and chemical processes can degrade DNA, limiting its usefulness over time. In contrast, protein is more stable than DNA but can also have variations that may be unique to the individual. Glendon Parker and his team, therefore, investigated whether the protein found in human hair could offer another tool for identifying individuals in forensic or archaeology scenarios. The researchers were able to examine bioarcheological hair samples from six individuals that were up to 250 years old, demonstratin

The last two decades have created a new crime scene unlike any other: the internet. Instead of knives and firearms, 21 st -century criminals are wielding laptops, mobile devices, and malware. And instead of using DNA and fingerprints to solves crimes, modern law enforcement is using IP addresses and geotags to find criminals who use proxies and fake user accounts in the place of ski masks and gloves. For many, this unique underground of cybercrime is a bizarre new frontier, but for those in my millennial generation, who could click a mouse before they could ride a bike, hearing about another hacking or online predation is just as commonplace as hearing about a real-world robbery or kidnapping. However, even for those of us who grew up with the internet at our fingertips, the continuing evolution of the online word—and the crimes that go with it—can be both staggering and fascinating. Each week, I will be discussing a new case that highlights the relationship between the inter