All articles tagged with #dna
Prosecutors in Utah presented what they called devastating evidence against 23-year-old Tyler Robinson in the murder of Charlie Kirk, including DNA on the rifle and towel, a text confession and incriminating messages, and CCTV footage plus a taped interview with his ex-roommate; the defense challenged the evidence as the judge weighs whether the case should proceed to trial.
Provo, Utah, 23-year-old Tyler Robinson faces a week-long preliminary hearing to establish probable cause to move the Charlie Kirk murder case to trial. Prosecutors allege DNA on the trigger of the suspect’s grandfather’s Mauser rifle, a towel around it, three of four bullets recovered, and digital evidence such as text messages and Discord communications tie him to the shooting at UVU. Robinson’s alleged actions and communications, potential witness tampering, and other charges are on the table, while Kirk’s parents and widow are expected to attend; the top charge is aggravated murder with the potential death penalty.
Investigators are scouring the sewers beneath Eugene Horsch’s dilapidated Olney home in Philadelphia for DNA traces and evidence of chemicals used to dissolve bodies, as the FBI and local police probe missing women and a stockpile of hazardous materials found inside the residence; authorities also recovered a chilling note, and 44-year-old Horsch has been arrested on firearm and drug charges while DNA testing and further interviews continue.
A team sequenced 27 Neanderthals from 10 sites across Belgium and France, showing late Neanderthals in northwestern Europe lived in large, interconnected populations rather than isolated groups, which challenges the idea that extinction was driven solely by genetic decline. The Belgian Goyet site reveals cannibalism but within the same genetic group, and the study finds no evidence of recent Neanderthal ancestry in humans, even as modern humans carry Neanderthal DNA. The researchers also advance methods to recover data from degraded remains, enabling population-level reconstructions and richer insights into Neanderthal life and interactions.
Deadline reports that a second note regarding Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance claimed she had died; the note, sent to TMZ and KOLD-TV, offered no apology or request for payment for the release of her remains. Savannah Guthrie and her siblings released a video begging for the return of their mother and pledging to pay for her remains. Authorities have DNA from a glove found near her home that appears to match DNA from the masked offender seen on doorbell footage; the investigation into the kidnapping continues.
Sega unveiled a life-size Sonic statue that reportedly contains Sonic’s DNA sealed inside a Chaos Emerald, created with artist collective Transeeds, and it will be on display at Sega Store Tokyo on June 23 as part of Sonic’s 35th anniversary celebrations.
A 16th–17th‑century burial near Lake Kitka in Kuusamo, Finland, belongs to a man about 40 who was genetically closest to Sámi populations and shows isotope evidence of a North Atlantic upbringing—likely Iceland—indicating surprising mobility and broad connections across northern Europe. The study cautions that DNA can’t determine ethnicity or personal identity.
DNA and forensic genealogy linked the 1986 Virginia Beach rape-and-murder of 22-year-old Roberta Walls to Charles Berry, a 66-year-old man in Newington, Connecticut. Berry was arrested on a fugitive-from-justice charge and awaits extradition to Virginia, with investigators holding him on a $10 million bond as they prepare to pursue charges in the case.
Scientists have shown that DNA polymerases can generate long, patterned DNA without a template, producing tens of thousands of units by adjusting reaction conditions such as temperature and building-block availability. The output forms identifiable repeating patterns rather than random strings, suggesting a tunable pathway for long DNA synthesis with potential biotech applications, though researchers caution about error control and the uncertain behavior in living systems.
Lawyers for Alex Murdaugh say they’ll introduce previously undisclosed DNA evidence at his retrial—specifically male DNA found under Maggie Murdaugh’s fingernails that doesn’t match Alex or any family member and wasn’t added to CODIS—to argue his innocence and suggest other possible suspects. The defense follows the South Carolina Supreme Court’s overturning of his 2023 double-murder conviction for the killings of Maggie and Paul at the family estate, while Murdaugh remains jailed for financial crimes. Prosecutors argued the motive was to cover up financial crimes, but the defense is pushing multiple alternative theories and noting unexamined evidence, such as tire-track leads, that weren’t pursued. The retrial context centers on the 2021 murders of Maggie and Paul and the broader questions surrounding the case and timing.
DNA from living descendants identified four Erebus crew members and the sole Terror sailor among the remains from Franklin’s 1845 expedition, solving long-standing misidentifications and offering clues about why the crew deserted their ships. The study by researchers at the University of Waterloo and Lakehead University used Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA to match bones to relatives, building on earlier identifications of John Gregory and James Fitzjames, with ongoing efforts to name more crew and humanize the tragedy.
Undercover detectives used a gum-tasting ruse to collect a DNA sample from Mitchell Gaff, which matched DNA found on victim Judy Weaver and connected him to her 1984 murder and Susan Vesey’s 1980 killing. Advances in DNA technology, including STRmix and CODIS, allowed investigators to link the cases four decades later; Gaff pleaded guilty and faces life in prison, bringing closure to families after years of uncertainty.
After Cindy Wanner vanished from Granite Bay in 1991 and her body was found three weeks later, investigators used newer DNA testing to identify James Lawhead Jr., who had been living under an alias. He was arrested in Bullhead City, Arizona, and extradited to Placer County to face murder and kidnapping charges; Lawhead’s sister, Terry Lawhead Steele, was arrested on an accessory charge as authorities continue to probe possible links to other crimes.
Scientists edited Enh13, a non-coding enhancer that helps turn on SOX9, in female mouse embryos by deleting three nucleotides or inserting one; the result was that XX mice developed small testes and male external genitalia, while retaining some ovarian tissue. For male organs to form, both copies of Enh13 had to be mutated; one mutated copy yielded normal ovaries. The finding suggests that even tiny changes in regulatory DNA can trigger a male-development cascade via a weak SOX9 activation, shedding light on how some human sex-development disorders might arise.
Houston police arrested Floyd William Parrott, 64, in Nebraska for the 1990 Lovers’ Lane murders of Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson, solving a 36-year cold case after a 2025 tip and a CODIS DNA match tied to Henry’s autopsy; Parrott faces capital murder charges and awaits extradition to Harris County, with investigators noting a history of crimes and possible additional victims.