DNA recovery from unfired and fired cartridge cases: A comparison of swabbing, tape lifting, vacuum filtration, and direct PCR.

The ability to recover trace DNA from fired cartridge cases can help establish important leads regarding the handler of the ammunition. Over recent years, several DNA recovery techniques for fired ammunition have been published. Three techniques of significant interest include tape lifting, direct PCR, and vacuum filtration.

Retrieving forensic information about the donor through bacterial profiling.

When fingermarks are left on a surface, bacteria originating from the donor's skin are also deposited. The skin microbiome is believed to be extremely diverse between individuals, allowing for potential matching between the bacterial communities and touched objects, known as "bacterial profiling". This study stepped further and investigated how the bacterial profile could be used as an indicator of donor characteristics of potential forensic intelligence interest.

Development of the MitoQ assay as a real-time quantification of mitochondrial DNA in degraded samples.

Mitochondrial DNA is a reliable genetic material for estimating maternally related haplogroups and ancestries. Exploring maternal DNA inheritance is particularly useful when nuclear DNA is degraded or limited, as the copy number of mitochondrial DNA is far greater than the copy number of nuclear DNA. Normal mitochondrial DNA copy number has been estimated to 100 copies per buccal epithelial cell, 4000 copies in skeletal cells and 7000 copies in myocardial cells.

Impact of one-step luminescent cyanoacrylate treatment on subsequent DNA analysis.

Fingermarks can be exploited for both their ridge detail and touch DNA. One-step luminescent cyanoacrylate (CA) fuming techniques used for fingermark enhancement, such as PolyCyano UV (Foster+Freeman Ltd) and Lumicyano™ (Crime Science Technology), claim to be compatible with DNA analysis as they reduce the need for post-staining to increase contrast of the developed fingermark. The aim of this study was to determine the impact that these one-step luminescent cyanoacrylates have on DNA analysis and how they compare to conventional CA techniques.

Performance of the Early Access AmpliSeq™ Mitochondrial Panel with degraded DNA samples using the Ion Torrent™ platform.

The Early Access AmpliSeq™ Mitochondrial Panel amplifies whole mitochondrial genomes for phylogenetic and kinship identifications, using Ion Torrent™ technology. There is currently limited information on its performance with degraded DNA, a common occurrence in forensic samples. This study evaluated the performance of the Panel with DNA samples degraded in vitro, to mimic conditions commonly found in forensic investigations.

Investigation of DNA transfer onto clothing during regular daily activities.

Low levels of DNA from an unidentified human source, often referred to as trace DNA, are ubiquitous, can be transferred onto objects by either direct or indirect methods and have an unknown longevity in situ. Clothing items from crime scenes are often submitted for trace DNA analysis, usually in attempt to identify a person of interest. This study examined the transfer of DNA onto three 10 × 10 cm areas located on the front, back and shoulder of an individual's external clothing (n = 300) during a regular day's activity.

The nucleic acid revolution continues - will forensic biology become forensic molecular biology?

Molecular biology has evolved far beyond that which could have been predicted at the time DNA identity testing was established. Indeed we should now perhaps be referring to "forensic molecular biology." Aside from DNA's established role in identifying the "who" in crime investigations, other developments in medical and developmental molecular biology are now ripe for application to forensic challenges.

Convict bastards, common-law unions, and shotgun weddings: premarital conceptions and ex-nuptial births in nineteenth-century Tasmania.

This article uses reconstituted family data from birth, death, and marriage registers to measure ex-nuptial fertility and premarital pregnancies in nineteenth-century Tasmania. It also examines the extent to which convict origins of European society on the island caused a departure from English norms of family formation behavior, during a period when men greatly outnumbered women. Illegitimacy was high during the convict period.

Trace evidence characteristics of DNA: A preliminary investigation of the persistence of DNA at crime scenes.

The successful recovery of trace or contact DNA is highly variable. It is seemingly dependent on a wide range of factors, from the characteristics of the donor, substrate and environment, to the delay between contact and recovery. There is limited research on the extent of the effect these factors have on trace DNA analysis.