Drink-drive cases on hold as leading forensics lab axed

The Publican
Police have been told to put samples from drink drivers on ice after the biggest forensic science provider was axed.A leaked memo revealed staff at the Forensic Science Service have stopped processing blood and urine samples in motoring cases. It comes after the Government announced the loss-making FSS would be wound down by March next year, a move that experts have warned will make it harder to catch criminals and bring them to justice – Daily Mail

Test DNA of people arrested for felonies, bill says

Des Moines Register Iowa
Iowans — even children — arrested on felony charges would be required to submit DNA samples under a fast-moving legislative proposal that has bipartisan support.

Council snoopers shown the door in blitz on Big Brother state

Daily Mail Online UK
Police will be banned from routinely storing the DNA of innocent people in a significant scaling back of state powers

Cold case killer wants new trial

WSAU Wisconsin
WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAU) – A Wausau man serving a life sentence in the 1999 cold case murder of Rhonda Mertes wants a new trial.

Parents as accused: Aarushi murder’s similarity with others

Sify News India
New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) As a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court Wednesday ordered the trial of dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar for the 2008 murder of their teenaged daughter Aarushi, the 33-month-old case evoked memories of crimes where parents have faced allegations of harming their children.

Forensic scientists don’t want to be monitored

DNA India
The scientists and other supporting staff working at the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratory in Kalina criticised the plan to install closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) inside the institute’s building.

Grassley targets DNA test delays

Omaha.com
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is taking aim at a problem that has delayed some sexual assault investigations around the country.
Rape kits, sets of items used to acquire and store evidence in sexual assault cases, have sat untested on shelves in storage rooms. Sophisticated DNA testing using the kits can bring justice to a victim or clear a suspect’s name, but in some jurisdictions that has taken years.

DNA key in Jones kill case

Sunshine Coast Daily Australia
POLICE will rely heavily on DNA evidence to cement their case against the man accused of murdering Justine Jones before she was crushed in a rubbish truck.

A decade’s perspective on DNA sequencing technology

Nature.com
The decade since the Human Genome Project ended has witnessed a remarkable sequencing technology explosion that has permitted a multitude of questions about the genome to be asked and answered, at unprecedented speed and resolution. Here I present examples of how the resulting information has both enhanced our knowledge and expanded the impact of the genome on biomedical research. New sequencing technologies have also introduced exciting new areas of biological endeavour. The continuing upward trajectory of sequencing technology development is enabling clinical applications that are aimed at improving medical diagnosis and treatment.

Anoka County DNA lab makes key hire

Twin cities .com Minnesota
The Anoka County sheriff’s office will soon be able to it’s own DNA testing.
The department announced the hire of Amy Liberty Wednesday, a lead DNA criminalist who now makes it possible for Anoka to handle DNA testing inhouse.