All articles tagged with #dna
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.
Archaeologists in the Netherlands uncovered a skeleton beneath a centuries-old church floor that could be the grave of d’Artagnan, the famed Musketeer. Clues include a musket-ball fragment and a 1660 coin, with the burial located near the altar area; jawbone DNA sequencing and forensic analysis are planned to confirm the identity by comparing with living relatives, though confirmation awaits results.
A two-decade Japanese study recloned a female mouse across 58 generations. By generation 58, all offspring died within a day of birth, with no outward defects, and DNA analysis showed accumulating mutations and occasional loss of an X chromosome. The research indicates a hard limit to mammalian cloning and challenges hopes for infinite lineages, with implications for livestock cloning and de-extinction efforts; no method yet exists to overcome this genetic deterioration.
Two samples from asteroid Ryugu returned by JAXA’s Hayabusa2 contain the five nucleobases adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil—the building blocks of DNA and RNA. The find suggests these compounds can form in space without life and may have been distributed across the early solar system, with Ryugu showing different base concentrations than Bennu and meteorites, hinting at diverse formation histories and a wide cosmic availability of life's chemical ingredients.
In Cleveland, two Black girls believed to be between 8 and 14 were found dead, stuffed in suitcases and buried in shallow graves. Preliminary DNA indicates they were half-siblings, but identities and cause of death have not been released, and police have no leads or suspects as they investigate the discovery made by a dog walker near Ginn Academy.
A genetic analysis comparing Neanderthal genomes with African references shows Neanderthals carried far more modern human DNA on their X chromosome than on other chromosomes, while modern humans have very little Neanderthal DNA on their X. The researchers argue that this pattern results from sex-biased interbreeding—likely Neanderthal males with modern human females—rather than widespread genetic incompatibility. Computer simulations using a mating bias reproduce the observed distribution, suggesting social/partner-choice factors shaped inheritance. The team plans to investigate population structure to determine which sex moved between groups and how cultural practices influenced mating in ancient encounters.
German police arrested an 81-year-old man in Koblenz for the 1994 murder and sexual assault of American student Amy Lopez after advances in DNA technology and re-examining evidence led to a match between a saliva sample and DNA found in Lopez's jeans. The suspect had a prior 1999 conviction for attempted rape; his genetic data, once deleted, was re-accessed to secure the arrest, and he is now in pretrial detention as investigators continue the case decades after the crime.
DNA recovered from Nancy Guthrie's Tucson home is described as low-level and may not yield a clean, usable profile for comparison in FBI or private databases; investigators say enhancement is possible but could take longer. A Florida lab is analyzing the samples as the case remains unresolved, with no suspects named. A DNA profile from gloves found near the home did not match the FBI’s CODIS. Authorities are turning to genetic genealogy via GEDmatch Pro and FamilyTreeDNA, both using opt-in consent. Rewards total up to $1 million for information, in addition to a $100,000 FBI reward.