Forum targets sexual assaults

The Advocate Louisiana
LAFAYETTE — Of the 144 victims of sexual assault who participated in a local survey, only 12 percent said they reported the crime and less than 1 percent followed the case through to the end, an official said Wednesday during a public forum on sexual assault.

Human Origins and Global Genetic Variations

The Bright Hub
According to a study released in the magazine Science Express in April 2009, global genetic variations between populations define the origin of the species. These human genetic variations between DNA markers are most prominent among the population of sub-Saharan Africa. The ten-year study of African and non-African populations traced human origins to 14 distinct ancestral groups descending from Namibia and Angola. It appears that populations migrated from these areas, eventually leaving the continent through East Africa. As this occurred, genetic diversity lessened amongst populations. This supports the Out of Africa theory of human origins.

Diamond burglary raises alarm at Baselworld

International Business Times Switzerland
As haute culture horology and jewelry brands across the globe conveyed at Baselworld, Switzerland, for one of the biggest industry fairs; a gang of five stole diamonds and gemstones worth millions of dollars.

Review of military crime lab sought

News Observer
WASHINGTON — A U.S. senator has called for an independent investigation of the military’s premier crime lab to ensure that innocent people weren’t wrongfully convicted on the basis of work by a discredited analyst.

Bill to Reduce Wrongful Convictions Passes House

My Fox Austin Texas
Austin, TX – The Texas House, aiming to reduce the number of wrongful convictions, approved legislation Wednesday that would require law enforcement agencies to begin standardizing the way eyewitnesses identify criminal suspects.

Profiles in DNA

Promega Corporation
Volume 14 No. 1, March 2011
Implementation of the PowerPlex® 18D System in a Databasing Laboratory: Transforming Operations to Improve Efficiency
Julie French of the Michigan State Police shares her experiences with the new PowerPlex® 18D System. Learn how your lab can skip the DNA purification steps and shorten thermal cycling times when amplifying database samples, and dedicate additional resources to more time-consuming tasks.

Federal Funding Helps Crack Cold Case Crimes

Fox4KC Kansas
MISSION, KS— Officials say that thanks to federal cold case funding provided to the Johnson County crime lab two rape cases from the 1990′s have been solved.

911 Families Fear Budget Cuts Will Halt Identification of Remains

DNA Info Manhattan
MANHATTAN — Families of victims of the World Trade Center attack urged the city to restore funding after the chief medical examiner warned that state budget cuts could jeopardize his office’s work identifying remains.

A “mammoth” find in Monterey County

MSNBC
It’s a mammoth find in Monterey County. Back in December, farmers working their land came across some strange looking rocks, which turned out to be prehistoric mammoth bones. Now their former farmland has turned into an excavation site.

DNA Genotek inks Spanish distribution pact

Ottawa Busness Journal
One of Spain’s top biological product distributors has agreed to sell DNA Genotek’s products in the European country.
The news comes a couple of weeks after DNA Genotek, which sells kits that can collect DNA from saliva, said it is seeking approval from the United States’ top health authority for its products.