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DNA Evidence Can Be Fabricated, Research Says

by Kendra Cunningham on August 19, 2009 at 04:18 PM

It's hard to believe that crime scenes could get any more complicated than they are on 'CSI,' but The New York Times reports that scientists in Israel have discovered that DNA evidence can be fabricated -- and easily, at that. Apparently, DNA can be cooked up like cookies in an E-Z bake oven...

Scientists at the Tel Aviv-based company Nucleix have been able to infuse one individual's DNA into blood and saliva samples of a completely different person. Also, according to the research, DNA can be fabricated to match DNA profiles saved in databases, without even having an original sample.

"You can just engineer a crime scene," Dr. Dan Frumkin told the Times. The lead author of the paper, Frumkin further explains, "Any undergraduate biology student could perform this." Tania Simoncelli, science adviser to the American Civil Liberties Union, makes the point more palpable: "DNA is a lot easier to plant at a crime scene than fingerprints."

While it might seem plausible that in the future we'll all have our DNA hacked, let's not panic quite yet. Dr. Frumkin has developed a test that should help forensic labs to determine real DNA from fabricated DNA. Let's hope it works. We'd prefer that 'identity theft' remain a figurative term. [From: The New York Times]

Tags: crime, dna, evidence, science, top

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