The Blog of Science

DNA testing to establish ancestry are becoming very popular and are being offered by several companies. As the knowledge about the genetic composition of human populations accumulates, the manufacturers are including more markers to their tests in order to make them more accurate and span more ancestral lineages.
Geneticists from the Department of Genetics, University of […]

An increasing number of people are using commercial genetic tests to look into their ancestry. However, these tests can have important limitations according to Deborah Bolnick, assistant professor of anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin. In a recent article published in the prestigious journal Science Bolnick and a team of researchers from different […]

Hair is one of the first things police investigators look for when searching for evidence at a crime scene because DNA can be recovered from it, and DNA can lead the officers to convict or clear a suspect. In most cases, hair strands are recovered within a few days and DNA is still in good […]

Research on stem cells is quickly generating promising avenues for the treatment of many illnesses that had no known cure so far. Briefly, scientists are trying to use stem cells to repair or replace cells lost or damaged by disease or congenital defects. Examples for the current targets of research are red and white blood […]

New findings in Madeleine’s case bring unexpected results, this time complicating the McCanns’ position. A team of police ’sniffer’ dogs found suspicious traces of odour in the keys of a rental car that had been used by the McCanns a few weeks after Madeleine vanished.
British news sources commented that Portuguese police thinks this evidence may […]

Forensic DNA studies are a fundamental piece in helping crime investigations, but it is rarely realized that obtaining a DNA profile to be used in a court trial is the finalization of a long and difficult process involving the collection and careful process of items that may carry useful evidence. The initial collection and management […]