DNA Evidence Can Be Fabricated, Scientists Show

[steven johnson]

The people who put on this publicity stunt do have a commercial test to tell if a sample has been fabricated. So their motives may not be entirely pure. The test relies on the fact that amplified, fabricated DNA is not methylated, meaning it lacks certain molecules that are usually attached to the DNA.

Scientists in Israel have demonstrated that it is possible to fabricate DNA evidence, undermining the credibility of what has been considered the gold standard of proof in criminal cases.

The scientists fabricated blood and saliva samples containing DNA from a person other than the donor of the blood and saliva. They also showed that if they had access to a DNA profile in a database, they could construct a sample of DNA to match that profile without obtaining any tissue from that person.

"You can just engineer a crime scene," said Dan Frumkin, lead author of the paper, which has been published online by the journal Forensic Science International: Genetics. "Any biology undergraduate could perform this."

The scientists fabricated DNA samples two ways. One required a real, if tiny, DNA sample, perhaps from a strand of hair or drinking cup. They amplified the tiny sample into a large quantity of DNA using a standard technique called whole genome amplification.




DNA Evidence Can Be Fabricated, Scientists Show

[FreakinDJ]

1. Oopps..