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I wonder if DNA will actually become less usable in convictions as a result of these sorts of developments. With it being easier to identify an individual based

I wonder if DNA will actually become less usable in convictions as a result of these sorts of developments. With it being easier to identify an individual based on DNA at a crime scene, eventually someone is going to be accused and turn out to have an ironclad alibi proving they couldn't have done the crime, even though their DNA was present.

cheeko1234 8y ago
DNA as evidence already has a lot of issues: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/a-reasonable-doubt/480747/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/a-reaso...
agumonkey 8y ago
somehow I prefer when there's no silver bullet, it forces society to take time and think deep.. well ideally
Someone1234 8y ago
Here's a case where that happened: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-19412819 https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-19412819
tejtm 8y ago
Hopefully, because at this point incriminating fragments can already be bought. https://www.idtdna.com/pages/products/custom-dna-rna/dna-oligos https://www.idtdna.com/pages/products/custom-dna-rna/dna-oli...
- folli 8y ago
  To coat an entire crimescene with synthesized oligos will be prohibitively expensive.
  - tejtm 8y ago
    True if you did it that way. Which is why you would buy (or make) one and PCR the rest. Besides if it aligns with the authorities goals it would not take much.
RandallBrown 8y ago
If someone downloads my DNA from 23andMe, they can't really plant it at a crime scene can they? Even if they could synthesize DNA from that information, they'd need to mix it with SOMETHING to show that it's not planted. Is the information collected by 23andMe even close to accurate enough to do something like this?
- anderspitman 8y ago
  In the article Someone1234 commented in sibling apparently the innocent suspect's DNA was on the victim (they think maybe because she rode in his cab).

cheeko1234 8y ago

DNA as evidence already has a lot of issues: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/a-reasonable-doubt/480747/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/a-reaso...

agumonkey 8y ago

somehow I prefer when there's no silver bullet, it forces society to take time and think deep.. well ideally

Someone1234 8y ago

Here's a case where that happened: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-19412819 https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-19412819

tejtm 8y ago

Hopefully, because at this point incriminating fragments can already be bought. https://www.idtdna.com/pages/products/custom-dna-rna/dna-oligos https://www.idtdna.com/pages/products/custom-dna-rna/dna-oli...

folli 8y ago
To coat an entire crimescene with synthesized oligos will be prohibitively expensive.
- tejtm 8y ago
  True if you did it that way. Which is why you would buy (or make) one and PCR the rest. Besides if it aligns with the authorities goals it would not take much.

RandallBrown 8y ago

If someone downloads my DNA from 23andMe, they can't really plant it at a crime scene can they? Even if they could synthesize DNA from that information, they'd need to mix it with SOMETHING to show that it's not planted. Is the information collected by 23andMe even close to accurate enough to do something like this?

anderspitman 8y ago
In the article Someone1234 commented in sibling apparently the innocent suspect's DNA was on the victim (they think maybe because she rode in his cab).