DNA fingerprinting not foolproof, research pioneer says
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The genetic profiles held by police for criminal investigations are not sophisticated enough to prevent false identifications, according to the father of DNA fingerprinting.
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Analyzing the DNA of elephants may help trace the origins of ivory being sold illegally, information researchers hope will help foil such trade.
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A rapid technique for isolating DNA in hair provides a new route to study the genetics of extinct creatures.
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Religious belief is determined by a person&#39;s genetic make-up according to a study by a leading scientist. After comparing more than 2,000 DNA samples, an American molecular geneticist has
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The British government says that forgery of their new biometric passports is inconceivable, but a security expert has demonstrated a successful crack of the embedded RFID chip and its info. And he did it without taking the document out of its mailing envelope.
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A new way to use DNA sequencers could be the biggest thing to hit science since the microscope.
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If you&#39;re a convicted identity thief, you&#39;ve got about a 50 percent chance of avoiding jail time.That&#39;s one of the findings of a new study of closed U.S. Secret Service case files, released Monday by Utica College&#39;s Center for Identity Management and Information Protection. This is the first time researchers have been allowed to sift through the Secret Service&#39;s data. The study&#39;s authors based their findings on an&#160;analysis of 500 closed Secret Service cases.&quot;Prosecutors had a slightly better chance of sending a convicted identity thief to prison than not (51 percent) and could expect to see the imprisoned offender sentenced to three years or less of incarceration,&quot; the report said.The college has been working with a number of partners, including the Secret Service, IBM, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, since the Center&#39;s creation in mid-2006 to study the methods used by ID thieves and to help corporations and law enforcement prevent this type of crime.Technology like printers, mobile phones, and computers were used in about half of the cases, but the Internet was the exclusive tool of ID thieves only about 10 percent of the time.Identity theft is concentrated in the northeastern and southern United States, the study found. And the majority of the offenders in the Secret Service cases were African-American; more than two-thirds of all offenders were male.The study also found that ID thieves tended to hit people that they did not know, rather than preying on friends and relatives. A family member or friend was the victim in 16 percent of cases. In about a third of the cases, the theft was an inside job, with the data being stolen from an employer.Identity theft is a well-studied phenomenon, but it&#39;s unusual for a survey to be based on this kind of closed-case data. &quot;This study is significant because it did not depend on self-reported or survey data,&quot; the authors wrote.The median loss from identity theft was just over $31,000, but in one case, investigated by the Secret Service&#39;s Dallas field office, the defendant spent millions on luxury vehicles and then managed to set up shell companies and defraud investors. Total losses: $13 million. &quot;In general,&quot; however, &quot;the more offenders involved in the case, the higher the victim loss,&quot; the study stated.According to Javelin Strategy &amp; Research, identity theft cost U.S.businesses and consumers an estimated $49.3 billion in 2006.&#160;
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Catching criminals could become quicker   thanks to a new fingerprint technique developed by British   scientists.
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'Identity reconstruction' still possible Large databases do not adequately protect sensitive personal information, according to a statistics professor in the US, who says that individuals can still be identified despite attempts to anonymise them.â¦
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A study suggests that there are thousands of people serving long sentences for crimes they did not commit but who have no hope that DNA can clear them.
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A University of Connecticut scientist may have discovered a new and efficient way to clone
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Sep 09 - The genetic profiles held by police for criminal investigations are not sophisticated enough to prevent false identifications, according to the father of DNA finger printing.
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Researchers say results aren't necessarily transferable to human beings.
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The first detailed map of a man&#39;s  genes shows the genetic code is even more complex than anyone  thought. For instance, science still cannot pinpoint what makes  a person&#39;s eyes blue.
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Scientists are warning would-be slimmers to be careful about using 'DNA-diets' on the internet.
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Civil liberties groups express concern over an idea to take DNA from babies to help solve crimes.
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Tony Frudakis, a molecular biologist, says he can determine a suspect's race by analyzing his DNA. The test, called DNAWitness, has been used nationally in nearly 200 criminal investigations, but its success hasn't made the technology popular with law enforcement.