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Studies of the genome or DNA for human individuals are revealing that each person may contain multiple versions of the genome. A group of cells or an organ may not have the same genetic makeup as other cells in the body. It's as if a person is made up of the DNA from several people. The term for this is chimera, and it was previously thought to be rare, as in the case of conjoined twins.
Where this intersects with law enforcement, of course, is in terms of matching DNA from evidence to people. In short, the DNA from a man's semen, for example, and his saliva may not match. And typically that is the way it has been done, matching semen, blood, and other tissues to saliva.
This throws a big, fat monkey wrench into the whole practice of DNA evidence in law enforcement.
In other words, a match is still valid as evidence that a given person left his DNA on the evidence, but a definite non-match does not necessarily rule him out where previously this was thought to be definite evidence that he was not the guy. A number of men have been cleared of charges of rape and murder, for example, based on that assumption. The practice of rescuing men from death row based on DNA evidence may come to an end.
This has obvious implications for medicine, also. An abnormal genome may coexist with a normal one in some patients. It would make a great deal of difference in terms of which tissue is sampled to sequence the DNA.
This is mind-blowing and greatly magnifies the difficulties in a number of ways.
Where this intersects with law enforcement, of course, is in terms of matching DNA from evidence to people. In short, the DNA from a man's semen, for example, and his saliva may not match. And typically that is the way it has been done, matching semen, blood, and other tissues to saliva.
This throws a big, fat monkey wrench into the whole practice of DNA evidence in law enforcement.
In other words, a match is still valid as evidence that a given person left his DNA on the evidence, but a definite non-match does not necessarily rule him out where previously this was thought to be definite evidence that he was not the guy. A number of men have been cleared of charges of rape and murder, for example, based on that assumption. The practice of rescuing men from death row based on DNA evidence may come to an end.
This has obvious implications for medicine, also. An abnormal genome may coexist with a normal one in some patients. It would make a great deal of difference in terms of which tissue is sampled to sequence the DNA.
This is mind-blowing and greatly magnifies the difficulties in a number of ways.
