4 ms·
DNA testing too, complete nonsense
by gaius 9y ago
DNA testing too, complete nonsense
- devdzy 9y agoCan you elaborate? Do you mean the science of DNA testing as a whole is complete nonsense, or just DNA testing as it relates to criminal prosecution?
- gaius 9y agoNot sure why I'm being downvoted, does noone remember this? https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/fbi-overstated-forensic-hair-matches-in-nearly-all-criminal-trials-for-decades/2015/04/18/39c8d8c6-e515-11e4-b510-962fcfabc310_story.html?utm_term=.c2cd7f1c9269 https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/fbi-overstated-fo... Of 28 examiners with the FBI Laboratory’s microscopic hair comparison unit, 26 overstated forensic matches in ways that favored prosecutors ... The cases include those of 32 defendants sentenced to death. Of those, 14 have been executed
- codezero 9y agoHair isn't DNA. The tests done on it are comparative afaik. In fact, in the linked article it says that DNA exonerated people tried based on hair comparison – 25% of those exonerated to boot. Sounds like DNA is great. What you seem to have a problem with, which is valid, is procedures, how evidence is introduced, and how the authority/validity of that evidence is communicated to the court, correct me if I'm wrong.
- Hasknewbie 9y agoHair testing is not considered proper DNA testing, as far as I understand. In fact the article you linked to mentions that wrongfully convicted persons were often exonerated via subsequent DNA tests.
- jstewartmobile 9y agoUnfair sarcasm. DNA is one of the very few forensic tools with any hard science behind it. Even fingerprints can lead to highly conflicting "expert" opinions.
- louithethrid 9y agoYou can get "DNA" at every barbershop. Every overtrusted tool will become a weakspot.
- loeg 9y agoAnd you leave fingerprints on everything you touch. But, it's all we've got as far as hard evidence aside from testimony and camera recording.
- matwood 9y agoBasically all we have is camera recordings because 'eye-witness' testimony is notoriously bad.
- syshum 9y agoMachine Learning will put a stop to that there are several project right now working completely fabricate audio and video in realistic ways...
- justinjlynn 9y agowe can already do video (pretty well, anyway) : http://www.graphics.stanford.edu/~niessner/thies2016face.html http://www.graphics.stanford.edu/~niessner/thies2016face.htm...
- gaius 9y agoYep check these guys out: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/24/voice_stealing_lyrebird/ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/24/voice_stealing_lyre...
- sigstoat 9y ago> DNA is one of the very few forensic tools with any hard science behind it. forensic toxicology and chemistry also work fine (they use the same tools and techniques that analytical chemists use for assaying unknown substances, or your doctor's office uses for measuring how much of your pain killer is in your system). the problems from those labs come when the government-run ones decide they're on team blue, instead of team truth, and start making shit up.
- WillPostForFood 9y agoShould we disallow use of DNA to exonerate the wrongfully convicted? If it is complete nonsense we should shut down the Innocence Project.