As a teen, crime intrigued me, more like the mystery and justice aspects of it. The fact that I was watching bothered my mum. Even if I grow up watching shows like CSI, NCIS and Criminal Minds. Anyways, since the early 2000s, DNA seems to have become an excellent tool for solving crime.
Where to look for DNA?
Since DNA makes up our biological and is close to unique for every human, here is where it is found: Blood, semen, saliva, urine, faeces, hair, teeth, bone, tissue and cells.
What is taken to the lab in search of DNA?
The things need to touch or sworn by the person of interest. In current years there was an advance in touch DNA which gives better results even in smaller samples which in the past it was less likely to bring up a result. Here are a few materials that can typically be tested:
- Masks
- Hats
- Gloves
- Clothing
- Tools
- Weapons
- Sexual assault evidence kits
- Underclothes
- Bedding
- Dirty laundry
- Fingernail scrapings
- Cups/bottles
- Cigarettes
- Toothpicks
- Toothbrush
- Facial tissue
- Hairbrush
- Eyeglasses
- Condoms
- Tape
- Ligatures (rope, wire, cords)
- Stamps or envelopes
Here are the steps that the lab needs to follow:
- Extraction is the process of releasing the DNA from the cell.
- Quantitation is the process of determining how much DNA you have.
- Amplification is the process of producing multiple copies of the DNA to characterize it.
- Separation is the process of separating amplified DNA products to permit subsequent identification.
- Analysis & Interpretation is the process of quantitatively and qualitatively comparing DNA evidence samples to known DNA profiles.
- Quality Assurance is the process of reviewing analyst reports for technical accuracy.
I tried to keep it as simple as possible to make it more reader-friendly and understandable to true crime fans like myself. I will link the source I used just in case you want a more in-depth read. I would love to share some of my favourites true crime shows with you, so let me know in the comments!
Alex
Mybookworld24 
Oh this was such a fun post! I loved watching criminal minds, csi, and NCIS too. The characters and their lives are very lovable and intriguing. I’ve even considered going into crime scene investigation myself, but I’m very indecisive. I’m currently leaning more towards law now, but I’m still in school though so I don’t have to make an actual decision yet. I’d love to hear about some of your favorite true crime shows, I haven’t watched very many because sometimes real crime is just too scary and well real compared to the scripted stuff on TV.
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Thanks and will do
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Informative post and not just for the fun knowledge bit of it but if someone is a victim of a crime at least now there is an idea of what someone can grab to help assist in capturing the criminal
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Thanks
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