NEW ORLEANS

Damon Thibodeaux received the ovation you'd expect of a man who's just been exonerated of a crime he didn't commit.

WGNO News Reporter Darian Trotter asked, "How do you feel now?" "Free," Thibodeaux replied.

Damon Thibodeaux has been on death row in Louisiana since October, 1997.

He was convicted of the murder and rape of his 14-year old step-cousin, Crystal Champagne.

It was a crime for which he had been coerced into falsely confessing.

But DNA and other evidence have proven his innocence.

It took seven years and hundreds of thousands of dollars of DNA testing for the Innocence Project and Jefferson Parish prosecutors to exonerate Thibodeaux.

"When you think you have an innocent man and people on both sides can get together and really share evidence and conduct an investigation into the search for the truth that's what's important. So we are tremendously indebted to Paul Connick and his team for the cooperation and the integrity with which they went about this process," Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck said.

Thibodeaux makes the 300th person to be exonerated by DNA evidence in the U.S. And the 18th who served time on death row.

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DNA Clears Death Row Inmate

VANCOUVER - RCMP scientists will continue to resubmit DNA to Interpol after announcing this week the process confirmed a dead U.S. convict killed at least one of the 18 victims on B.C.'s so-called Highway of Tears, an investigator said Thursday.

Staff Sgt. Wayne Clary said samples of genetic material submitted to the international law enforcement agency have to meet standards, which could mean having to isolate the suspects DNA from other contaminants, including blood from the victim.

That was the case in victim Colleen MacMillens murder: her blood was mixed with that of her presumed killer, Bobby Jack Fowler. (Fowlers guilt is not proven in a court of law because of his passing in 2006 in an Oregon prison.)

A previous attempt five years ago to separate Fowlers blood was unsuccessful, but new technology made it possible this year. That meant the isolated Fowler DNA was now acceptable for comparison with international police records.

Were very cognizant of advances in DNA and we would resubmit when we can, Clary told QMI Agency. In particular, when there are older cases that have already gone through (our system) once.

The investigator said police have also traced four additional British Columbian male suspects -- two living and two dead -- related to the missing and murdered women.

One of the suspects continues to be sought in connection to Maureen Mosies death. The 33-year-old was last seen alive in Salmon Arm on May 8, 1981. The next day, her remains were located 100 kilometres west, near Kamloops.

Mounties still seek witnesses who saw a two-door compact car with an Alberta plate driven by a man with a dark beard.

We think whoever drove that car killed Maureen Mosie.

Though no names were released, Clary said the two dead suspects linked to two separate killings perished before the Highway of Tears task force launched in 2005.

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DNA remains focus in Highway of Tears cases

Latest Womens Health News

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Male DNA and cells are commonly found in some women's brains and most likely come from male fetuses, according to a small new study.

The medical implications of male DNA and male cells in women's brains are unknown. Previous studies of microchimerism -- the presence of genetic material and cells that were exchanged between fetuses and mothers during pregnancy -- have linked it to autoimmune diseases and cancer in both helpful and harmful ways.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle analyzed brain autopsy specimens from 59 women who died between the ages of 32 and 101. Male DNA was detected in 63 percent of the women and was distributed in various brain regions. The oldest woman with male DNA was 94.

Thirty-three of the 59 women in the study had Alzheimer's disease. These women had a somewhat lower prevalence of male DNA, which was present in lower concentrations in regions of the brain most affected by Alzheimer's.

Because of the small number of women in the study and their largely unknown pregnancy history, it is not possible to establish a link between Alzheimer's disease and levels of male DNA and cells from a fetus, the researchers said in a cancer center news release.

They also added that the study does not show an association between male microchimerism in women's brains and their health or risk of disease. Further research is needed to investigate this area.

The study was published Sept. 26 in the journal PLoS One.

-- Robert Preidt

Copyright 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Some Women's Brains Contain Male DNA: Study

It isn't pretty, but it's a first for science. A dead body, burned beyond recognition, was discovered in the woods by Mexican police. Investigators had a lead on the identity of the victim, but the body was too damaged to provide DNA for analysis. That is, until scientists stepped in with an innovative and unorthodox solution: extracting DNA from maggots found on the corpse.

Pathologists from the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, in San Nicolas, Mexico, dissected three maggot larvae found on the corpse and extracted the contents of their gastrointestinal tracts. They were then able to isolate the human DNA found within and find a match.

Police believed the victim to be a young woman who had been reported missing ten weeks earlier. The DNA from the maggots was compared to samples taken from the woman's father and found to be a 99.68 percent match.

The pathology team, led by Maria de Lourdes Chavez-Briones and Marta Ortega-Martinez, reported their work in the Journal of Forensic Science. The idea of extracting human DNA from insects has been studied for several years. But this was the first time the theory was put to practice in a criminal case.

The team hopes that their work will encourage law enforcement officials to pay more mind to insects found at crime scenes.

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Burn victim identified by DNA in maggots

In the first study of its kind, researchers have discovered that male DNA is commonly found in the brains of women a finding that could hold important implications for diseases like Alzheimers disease and cancer.

Male DNA is likely transferred to female brains during pregnancy, according to researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. During this time, mothers and fetuses exchange and harbor genetic material and cells in a phenomenon called microchimerism.

This means, if a mother is pregnant with a boy, she will end up with male DNA in her system potentially for the rest of her life. If the fetus is female, the mother will end up with genetic material from her daughter, though it is difficult for researchers to distinguish between two sets of female DNA in microchimerism studies.

What this means for treating diseases

Prior studies have observed fetal DNA in many other of the mothers tissues and organs, but this is the first to confirm fetal cells can cross the blood-brain barrier and reside in the mothers brain beyond pregnancy.

We were interested in looking at the human brain because its never been looked at before, and it was really unknown if the cells of fetal origin could reach the brain, study senior author Dr. Lee Nelson, a member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and professor of medicine at the University of Washington, told FoxNews.com. Nelson and her colleagues performed autopsies on 59 brains of deceased females and detected male microchimerism in 63 percent of them.

Male microchimerism was distributed across multiple regions of the female brain, including those affected by dementia, and could persist for decades potentially even an entire human lifespan. According to the study, the oldest female with microchimerism detected in her brain was 94.

The question naturally arises what role might the cells have in benefiting health and what role they play in diseases, Nelson added.

The researchers hope further studies on microchimerism might shed new light on various diseases that affect the brain, such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons or even brain tumors.

These cells have access to the brain could help us understand different treatment options for diseases that arent well treated, Nelson said. Its a very exciting new area that opens up different possibilities, such as, what if these cells have anti-tumor potential? For example, glioblastomas are deadly tumors, (which) have poor treatment options. Were very much in need of new potential options.

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Many female brains contain male DNA

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Scientific breakthroughs in the study of the human genome coupled with online access to massive genealogical records have opened the doors of ancestral investigation to include all those interested in unearthing their roots and, on October 26-27 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City, The Genealogy Event will feature exciting learning opportunities and resources for both novice and professional enthusiasts.

Technology has revolutionized genealogical research and can take you back more than 100,000 years, said Bridget Bray, organizer of the event. Uncovering the mystery and discovering your own history doesnt have to mean hours of pouring over dusty record books locked in courthouse basements. So much of your familys past has been right there in your own DNA, waiting for science to catch up and read it.

DNA testing and analysis has evolved dramatically in recent years casting the widest net possible to ones genetic matrix, said Ken Chahine, SVP and General Manager of AncestryDNA, sponsor of The Genealogy Event. AncestryDNA has merged this new technology with the millions of family trees and billions of records on Ancestry.com providing exciting new family history discoveries for those new to the hobby as well as the most dedicated researcher.

According to Family Tree DNA President Bennett Greenspan, exhibitor and speaker at The Genealogy Event, Through an examination of the Mitochondrial DNA for women the Y-Chromosome for men, we can look at the direct female and male linesgenealogically and anthropologicallyback to the first woman and man who lived in Africa more than 100,000 years ago.

The Genealogy Event will feature 40 expert speaking sessions including ones that demonstrate how an analysis of your DNA can also provide a breakdown of ethnic percentages and reveal the parts of the world from which an individuals ancestors came. Testing could even bring to light distant relations around the globe going back 400 years.

Attendees will also connect with a host of companies, organizations and societies that offer essential services to the genealogical industry.

According to Bray, People have always been fascinated by where they come from, telling and retelling the stories handed down from their elders. Popular shows like Finding Your Roots with Henry Gates, Jr. and Who Do You Think You Are? which trace the heritage of famous personalities have underscored this interest and demonstrated how science can help to expose unknown ethnicities, dispel family myths and reveal even more thrilling truths.

New York City is a melting pot within a melting pot and we are thrilled to present The Genealogy EventNYCs only event of its kindto put people in touch with their pasts. And its all for about the price of a movie ticket, she said.

For more information and to pre-register online for The Genealogy Event, visit http://www.thegenealogyevent.com. Tickets are available for $15 per day.

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DNA Mapping Uncovers the Mystery to Family History

By Melissa Lee Phillips, ScienceNOW

Giving a whole new meaning to pregnancy brain, a new study shows that male DNA likely left over from pregnancy with a male fetus can persist in a womans brain throughout her life. Although the biological impact of this foreign DNA is unclear, the study also found that women with more male DNA in their brains were less likely to have suffered from Alzheimers disease hinting that the male DNA could help protect the mothers from the disease, the researchers say.

During mammalian pregnancy, the mother and fetus exchange DNA and cells. Previous work has shown that fetal cells can linger in the mothers blood and bone for decades, a condition researchers call fetal microchimerism. The lingering of the fetal DNA, research suggests, may be a mixed blessing for a mom: The cells may benefit the mothers health by promoting tissue repair and improving the immune system but may also cause adverse effects, such as autoimmune reactions.

One question is how leftover fetal cells affect the brain. Researchers have shown that fetal microchimerism occurs in mouse brains, but they had not shown this in humans. So a team led by autoimmunity researcher and rheumatologist J. Lee Nelson of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, took samples from autopsied brains of 59 women who died between the ages of 32 and 101. By testing for a gene specific to the Y chromosome, they found evidence of male DNA in the brains of 63 percent of the women. (The researchers did not have the history of the womens pregnancies.) The male DNA was scattered across multiple brain regions, the team reports online today in PLoS ONE.

Because some studies have suggested that the risk of Alzheimers disease (A.D.) increases with an increasing number of pregnancies, the team also examined the brains for signs of the disease, allowing them to determine whether A.D. correlated with the observed microchimerism. Of the 59 women, 33 had A.D. but contrary to the teams expectation, the women with A.D. had significantly less male DNA in their brains than did the 26 women who did not have A.D..

Whether that correlation means that fetal male DNA helps protect women against A.D. is unclear, however. To me, this suggests that the presence of fetal cells in the female brain prevents disease, says cardiologist Hina Chaudhry of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

In a study published online in Circulation Research late last year, Chaudhry and colleagues found that fetal cells in mice migrated to the mothers heart, differentiated into functioning cardiac cells, and accelerated repair to damaged heart tissue. So, Chaudhry says, a similar thing could be happening when fetal cells migrate to the brain. I would bet these cells are getting into the maternal brain and are able to differentiate into neurons.

A 2010 study in Stem Cells and Development showed that fetal cells can migrate to the brain of a mother mouse and mature into neurons, Nelson says. But, she adds, it remains unclear if something similar is happening in humans and its also difficult to reach any firm conclusions about a potential link between microchimerism and A.D. Part of the problem is that her team had little information about the pregnancy histories of the women in their study. We have to say we really dont know, she says. I hope that kind of work can be done in the future, but its very difficult to do with human samples.

This story provided by ScienceNOW, the daily online news service of the journal Science.

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Bearing Sons Leaves Male DNA Traces in Mom's Brain

27 September 2012 Last updated at 13:20 ET

Police forces in England and Wales have begun a large-scale operation to collect DNA samples from about 12,000 serious offenders who are not on the national DNA database.

Operation Nutmeg will see officers collect swabs from sex offenders and murderers living in the community.

Criminals are often not on the database if they were convicted before 1994, when sample-taking became routine.

The scheme has been launched after a successful pilot exercise in Hampshire.

Police hope the collection of thousands of new samples could help to solve so-called cold-cases, where a new sample is linked to a past crime.

Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, Amanda Cooper, director of information, science and technology at Thames Valley Police, said officers would approach individuals between now and next summer to collect the samples.

Police forces have been given lists of offenders living in their areas and will work though them to collect the samples.

The lists have been drawn up based on information from the Police National Computer, which was first used in the 1970s.

Alex Marshall, the chief constable of Hampshire police, said 167 samples were taken from a list of 471 convicted criminals during the pilot operation.

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New drive to take criminals' DNA