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A quote by a British Detective says it all when it comes to how DNA might help solve a recent mugging: “It’s not the brightest idea to leave your lunch at a crime scene,” Det. Con. Pete Wormley said.

According to a Mirror article a teenager apparently took an elderly woman’s purse and ran off, but not before leaving what police think is his half-eaten lunch behind in a cemetery near where the mugging took place.

Police and crime scene investigators are now testing the remnants of the lunch—specifically, a ham sandwich and potato chips—for any DNA evidence that could lead them to the robber.

It remains to be seen whether the DNA evidence on the ham sandwich will make up the meat of this case, or if other evidence will be needed to apprehend the munching mugger.

Scientists reported that they have successfully extracted “authentic” viking DNA from skeletal remains.

It is very difficult to extract a pure sample of ancient human DNA that is free of contamination from modern human sources. Ancient DNA that is intact is very hard to find, and is often in scarce amounts. The fact that modern human DNA is abundant in every step of the process, from excavation of remains to DNA analysis, further complicates the DNA extraction process—and this has caused many scientists to believe that it is virtually impossible to obtain uncontaminated ancient human DNA.

A pure sample is essential in order to properly analyze the DNA for migration patterns and origins of genetic diseases. Previous studies using ancient DNA have led to ill-formed conclusions that were later disproved due to evidence of contamination.

The scientist were able to achieve pure ancient DNA extracts by:

1. Analyzing DNA from ten Viking Age subjects that at the time of sampling were untouched by humans for 1,000 years.
2. Removing teeth from the subjects prior to handling by archaeologists and anthropologists using protective equipment.
3. For comparison, removing an additional tooth after standard archaeological and anthropological handling.

All work was carried out in a “clean laboratory” dedicated solely to ancient DNA work. The scientists found that consistent results were obtained with the “unhandled” teeth and there was no indication of contamination, unlike the second tooth from which DNA was extracted after normal handling.

Using the pure ancient DNA, they were able to discover mitochondrial DNA patterns that are infrequent or have not been observed in modern Scandinavians.

The media often tells instances in which DNA is used to solve violent or sex crimes, but a recent article from the United Kingdom explains how traces of DNA caught a thief in a different sort of crime.

With the rising cost of fuel around the world, an increasing number of people are resorting to theft to meet their fuel needs. However, Carl Anthony Little was not only caught stealing gasoline, but was reported to have then sold the stolen gas for a profit. British authorities say he committed 6 gas thefts in 6 days, stealing over $4,000 (£2,000) worth of diesel fuel in all.

Little was caught when he woke the driver of a parked load-carrying truck while he was siphoning diesel from the truck’s tank. As Little tried to get away, he left behind the equipment he used to siphon the fuel, and authorities were able to match Little to DNA left on the equipment.

Little is now on a 3-month curfew, and must also pay about $120 in fines. Prosecutors are also seeking additional punishment for each of Little’s 5 other alleged gas-stealing escapades.

Regarding his client and the charges at hand, Little’s defense attorney said, “This was a temporary misguided period in his life. He thought he could make a few pounds by stealing other people’s diesel. Clearly that was not the case.”

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a $10 million project—funded by the candy company Mars Inc.— to analyze the complete cocoa genome. According to an Associated Press article, the goal of the project is to help identify and understand what DNA traits make certain cocoa trees susceptible to fungal diseases and draught, and could potentially save cocoa farmers up to $700 million in sick or dead trees annually.

However, in addition to saving cocoa trees and their farmers’ cash, scientists will use the opportunity to understand other genetic properties of the cocoa bean—including the genes that affect its taste properties. Mars Inc., the maker of M&Ms, Snickers and other famous chocolates, has said it will release the findings of the study to the public, including its competitors.

It seems that the uses for genome research are expanding at a rate sweeter than ever.

According to a June 14 online article, male patrons were offered free DNA paternity tests at two pubs in New York and Ireland in an effort to identify descendents of Niall of the Nine Hostages, a 5th-century warlord and king. Any man that was proven to be related to Niall was eligible for free drinks and a free meal.

The Oxford, England, ancestral DNA testing company (affiliated with Oxford University) that is trying to identify more of Niall’s ancestors are able to do so by studying the tested men’s Y chromosome, which can be used to identify men that share a common male lineage. Niall—who’s name eventually became the source for the common Irish name O’Neill—had 12 sons, and could have had millions of descendants. In the U.S., researchers estimate that around 2 percent of Irish-American men could be descendants of the Irish King.

The researchers hope that by offering the DNA tests at the pubs, they can make “serious genetic research… less dusty and scientific,” one scientist said.

Beta Genetics’ sister company performs DNA tests similar to this one. DNA Diagnostics Center (DDC) can test two or men to see if they share the same Y chromosome, called Y-STR testing. This test can confirm whether or not two or more men descended from the same paternal line. For more information on Y-STR testing, please visit DDC’s resource page.

Zookeepers in Basel, Switzerland, made a shocking discovery when they analyzed DNA from a young gorilla as part of data it keeps on animals born in captivity.

A DNA test showed that young Chelewa was not fathered by 17-year-old gorilla Kisoro as zookeepers assumed. Within captive gorilla tribes, it has been known by scientists and zookeepers that only male gorillas 12 years or older have the “right” to mate with females in their tribe. But in the case of Chelewa, normal mating rituals seem to have been oddly overturned. The DNA test proved that a much younger male—9-year-old Viatu—had fathered Chelewa by mating with one of the tribe’s females.

In an AFP online article, zookeepers called the situation “almost unbelieveable,” and that by mating with a female at such a young age, Viatu had “broken all the rules that apply in gorilla communities.”

It seems young Viatu certainly has shaken up this zoo’s gorilla clan with his sneaky monkey business!

According to a USA Today article published online last week, Danica Patrick’s “need for speed” may be due in part to genes she inherited from her parents, who also participate heavily in “thrill” sports, especially snowmobile racing.

Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an IRL event in April and raced last weekend at the Indy 500, where a collision prevented her from finishing the race with only 29 laps remaining.

After studying people who participate in high-risk sports and thrill-oriented behavior, neuroscientists and sports psychologists have established a link between the level of dopamine produced by the brains of these thrill-seekers and their behavior.

Specifically, these people often come from families made up of individuals who produce higher-than-average dopamine. Dopamine is a brain chemical that acts as a messenger involved in reward, motivation and mood.

Scientists and sports psychologists also note that repetitious practice of a behavior—a thrilling one or not—can lead the brain to establish it as “normal,” and can lead the person repeating the behavior to essentially go into “autopilot.” Coupled with high dopamine levels, this feeling of a risky behavior being routine and “normal” can lead to an increased sense of fearlessness in the people who continuously perform these activities.

Along with incredible skill, these factors combine to make Danica Patrick a speeding success on the racetrack. Even Danica thinks, though, that it all comes down to her genes.

“I think racing is in my blood, my DNA,” she said.

Recently, DNA testing has been in mainstream media quite often, and a hit TV show is no exception. Throughout its most recent season, the tangled plot of ABC’s Brothers & Sisters included a major knot involving a decades-old paternity question. Now, as the show prepares to launch its third season this fall, trailers make it clear that the Walker family’s paternity questions are far from answered, as the search for Mr. Walker’s alleged child continues and the family’s estate waits anxiously to see if it will encompass another heir.

For more information on DNA paternity testing, please visit Beta Paternity’s Testing information page.

The following is a follow-up to our earlier article on the mystery of Anastasia, and the role DNA analysis is playing in solving it.
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According to a news article released last week, scientists have confirmed the remains of two bodies dug up in Russia last year that they previously believed were those of Tsar Nicholas II’s two children. DNA testing and analysis proved that these two bodies did in fact belong to the royal family that was assassinated by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

Since then, historians and scientists alike have been unsure of how many of his family members were killed along with Tsar Nicolas II. Specifically, scientists have had difficulty identifying the bodies of his five children, but the identities of three bodies near the Tsar and his wife Alexandra have proved particularly difficult to identify— those believed to be Maria, Alexei and Anastasia.

This identity question has led to an intriguing mystery throughout much of the twentieth century, with several women coming forward claiming to be the Tsar’s youngest daughter Anastasia. As each woman was ultimately determined not to be the long-lost Anastasia, scientists again turned to a shallow grave in Northern Russia for answers.

Last month, DNA analysis began on several sets of bones found charred in the grave. Now, it appears that two of the smaller bodies have been positively identified as Maria and Alexei. Through the process of elimination and added DNA analysis, researchers now believe a body found earlier in their investigation is that of Anastasia. However, scientists are divided in regard to this recent conclusion because of the corroded state of the DNA that was analyzed, and so investigations will continue in hopes of finding additional evidence to strengthen their conclusion.

Russia’s Orthodox Church has not released a position on the matter, saying that it will wait until scientists and historians can definitively agree on exactly whose bodies have turned up where.

While DNA testing has provided some answers in this mystery, other questions still remain. Most notably, researchers and world citizens alike are left to wonder if Anastasia died with her family or if she survived.

According to a Times article published last week, a Margate, England, woman hopes a DNA test can prove her beloved parrot is not missing, but has been stolen and is residing at the local pub.

Sue Parsons’ African Grey parrot went missing in January, and since then she has had no idea where her beloved pet, named Pickle, could be. Then, a friend spotted a bird that closely resembles Parson’s in a cage inside of a pub in the area. Parsons went to the pub to see the look-alike bird for herself, and it was then she began to believe she had found Pickle.

However, the owner of the bar insists that the bird is hers, and that it came from her uncle, who said he bought it months ago from “two identified men,” the article said.

Parsons is certain that the parrot in the pub is hers, and is demanding a DNA test to prove it. She hopes that sloughed off down feathers in Pickle’s former cage can be used as a reference sample; DNA from those feathers and DNA from the unidentified parrot can be compared to see if they match. However, the bird in question’s owner has so far refused to allow anyone, including police, access to the bird for DNA testing.

It seems that this parrot truly is in a pickle.