British researchers say forensic scientists might soon be using DNA from crime scenes to predict the surname of the criminal responsible for the crime.
While not a perfect science, the use of DNA to identify a criminal's name might become an important investigative tool, the BBC reported Wednesday.
The method utilizes genetic similarities in the Y chromosomes of men with the same surname, with the similarities passed from father to son.
The co-author of the study, Mark Jobling of the University of Leicester, told the BBC such evidence would give investigators a tool to prioritize a sub-set of suspects and perhaps reduce the police workload.
"You might have a situation where the Y chromosome predicts 25 names. So you could go and see in the pool of suspects whether the names are there," Jobling said. "If they are ... you could then ask them for a DNA sample and do conventional DNA profiling to see if they match the crime scene sample."
Details of the research appear in the latest edition of the journal Current Biology.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
Study provides first genetic evidence of long-lived African presence within Britain
New research has identified the first genetic evidence of Africans having lived amongst "indigenous" British people for centuries. Their descendants, living across the UK today, were unaware of their black ancestry.
Scientists uncover new field of research that could help police in crime scene forensics
A team of investigators led by scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) have found a way to identify possible suspects at crime scenes using only a small amount of DNA, even if it is mixed with hundreds of other genetic fingerprints.
More women choosing careers in forensic science
(AP) -- Kelly Johnson snips pieces from a blood-stained, blue-striped shirt, then swabs the neck and armpits for sweat. Down the hall, Samantha Glass watches as a chemical reaction reveals a fingerprint on a juice bottle. In the state's Eastern lab, Julie Price fires a .45-caliber pistol into a long metal water tank.
New nanotechnology tagging system to help solve gun crime
Criminals who use firearms may find it much harder to evade justice in future, thanks to an ingenious new bullet tagging technology developed in the UK.
Ivory poaching at critical levels: Elephants on path to extinction by 2020?
African elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory at a pace unseen since an international ban on the ivory trade took effect in 1989. But the public outcry that resulted in that ban is absent today, and a University of Washington conservation biologist contends it is because the public seems to be unaware of the giant mammals' plight.
DNA fingerprinting simplified
Agarose gel electrophoresis? Most teenagers wouldn’t have a clue what this scientific term means, but middle school student Andrew Trigiano knows the protocol inside and out. When Andrew was 12, his father Robert Trigiano, a professor at the University of Tennessee, was looking for an interesting science project for his son. Setting out to compare differences in popular brands of Easter egg dyes, Trigiano’s project soon grew into a full-blown scientific study and set of replicable classroom experiments.
New technique puts DNA profiling of E. coli on fast track
Using new genetic techniques, scientists are unlocking the secrets of how E coli bacteria contaminate food and make people sick.
Unravelling the Northwest's Viking past
The blood of the Vikings is still coursing through the veins of men living in the North West of England — according to a new study which has been just published.