Category Archives: DNA

Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:58 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:58 p.m.

WINTER HAVEN | Detectives used DNA evidence to arrest a 50-year-old man accused of sexually battering a 3-year-old boy at a home day care operated by the man's wife, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

Detectives said Carroll Gardner battered the boy on Aug. 17 at Kat Gardner's 24/7 Daycare, which was run out of the couple's home on Seventh Street in Winter Haven.

The boy's mother told detectives that she picked up her two children that afternoon and asked her son how his day had gone. The child told her Gardner had touched him inappropriately, reports said.

A sexual assault kit was completed and DNA evidence collected from the boy was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

On Dec. 28, lab results indicated foreign DNA was found and a warrant was obtained to collect DNA from Gardner on Jan. 14. On Tuesday, detectives learned the DNA collected from Gardner matched the foreign DNA found on the child, the Sheriff's Office said.

Gardner was arrested on a charge of sexual battery and is being held in the Polk County Jail without bail.

The Department of Children and Families was contacted after the incident. Gardner's wife told investigators she had planned to close the business before the incident and subsequently surrendered her license. The business closed Aug. 21, the Sheriff's Office said.

[ Clifford Parody can be reached at clifford.parody@theledger.com or 863-802-7516. ]

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DNA Leads to Arrest of in Daycare Sex Battery Case

21 February 2013 Last updated at 16:44 ET

Traces of horse DNA have been found in a frozen burger within a school kitchen in North Lanarkshire.

Procurement agency Scotland Excel has, as a result, advised Scotland councils to "place a hold on the use of all frozen beef burger products".

It is the first such discovery following widespread local authority testing resulting from the discovery of horsemeat in the UK food chain.

The Food Standards Agency has been advised and "investigations continue".

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "It is unacceptable that a burger which has tested positive for traces of horsemeat was supplied to a school in North Lanarkshire.

"However, North Lanarkshire Council have taken immediate action to withdraw the product from the schools and, as a precautionary measure, all Scottish schools have been advised to put a hold on the use of frozen burgers.

"Of the thousands of tests, this is the first positive result in our schools, but it is one too many.

"No company should be supplying our schools with food with beef products that contain traces of horse meat."

A Scotland Excel spokeswoman said it is "very concerned to learn of this incident despite the steps taken by our suppliers to provide assurances on their processed meat products".

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Horse DNA found in school burger

When Alonzo King was arrested for assault in 2009 after pointing a shotgun at several people, authorities had no reason to think he was also a rapist.

Then officials swabbed his cheek at the Wicomico County, Maryland, booking facility and ran his DNA through a nationwide database. The check linked King to an unsolved 2003 rape.

Now Kings conviction for the rape is set for argument next week at the U.S. Supreme Court, which will consider whether Maryland is violating the Constitution by collecting DNA samples from people arrested for serious crimes before they're convicted. The courts ruling, due by June, will be its first on the privacy of genetic information and will determine the fate of laws in at least 25 states that allow DNA collection at arrest.

If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Maryland in this case, there will be no real limits on when the government can collect DNA, said Jennifer Lynch, a lawyer with the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, which opposes the collection laws. She said that would be a huge privacy invasion.

Maryland argued in court papers that DNA gives police an invaluable investigative tool -- the gold standard of forensic identification. Backers of the practice point to cases where DNA collection upon arrest might have prevented additional crimes.

One of those advocates is Jayann Sepich, whose daughter, Katie, was raped and murdered in August 2003, when she was a 22- year-old graduate student at New Mexico State University. Police werent able to identify the killer, Gabriel Adrian Avila, until December 2006, after he was convicted and imprisoned for breaking into a house with a knife in an unrelated crime.

Jayann Sepich says Avilas DNA could have been collected in November 2003, when he was arrested for the break-in. While Avila was convicted in 2004, he was released on bail before beginning his sentence and fled to Mexico. Not until Avila was arrested again in 2006 was his DNA tested, connecting him to Katie Sepichs murder.

We got a bad guy and put him in prison, said Sepich. We could have done it three years sooner.

Sepich now works full-time to advocate for DNA laws. She helped persuade the New Mexico legislature to enact what became known as Katies Law, allowing for collection from anyone arrested for a violent felony.

Privacy advocates say there are more effective ways to get DNA to solve crimes that don't raise constitutional concerns.

Originally posted here:
DNA Privacy Gets First U.S. Supreme Court Test in Rape Case

Brick By Boring Brick vs. DNA (Flipped) - Paramore vs. Little Mix (Mashup Remix)

By: Builibou

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Brick By Boring Brick vs. DNA (Flipped) - Paramore vs. Little Mix (Mashup Remix) - Video

DNA party

By: Gavin Sherlock

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DNA party - Video

Police have connected the DNA of a homeless man with the Staten Island mom who was brutally slain in Istanbul after she went missing last month, according to a Turkish media report.

Investigators made the match after plucking a hair sample of a man named Ziya T. and comparing it with the blood recovered from Sarai Sierras T-shirt and fingernails after she was killed, Turkeys Dogan News Agency reported.

Turkish authorities had considered Ziya to be a leading suspect in the case.

Police discovered the hair strand on a pillow at Ziyas brother-in-laws house, the same place the vagrant stayed for the three days after Sierra went missing, the report said.

The 33-year-old mother of two was found dead from a blow to the head behind Istanbuls ancient walls on Feb. 2.

The Turkish paper Hrriyet Daily News also cites two people who say they witnessed the suspect in the neighborhood where Sierras body was found.

One man told police that Ziya was covered with scars and scrapes that may have come from a scuffle.

Sierra went missing on Jan. 21. She was buried on Staten Island last week.

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DNA links Turk vagrant to slain SI ma

Turkish authorities have reportedly matched DNA found on a murdered American woman with a homeless man suspected of killing her while she was visiting Istanbul on a solo vacation.

Blood and skin found on 33-year-old Sarai Sierra, of Staten Island, N.Y., has been linked to a homeless man who is believed to be making his way toward the Syrian border, according to the Dogan News Agency in Turkey.

Authorities in Turkey are now hunting for the man, identified only as "Ziya T." Blood found on Sierra's T-shirt as well as skin taken from under her fingernails matches DNA from a pillow found at the home of the man's family, according to the news agency.

Sierra, a freelance photographer, traveled to Istanbul alone on Jan. 7 and failed to return on a flight Jan. 21. Her body was found Feb. 2 near remnants of Istanbul's ancient walls. Authorities said she died from a single blow to the head, though she had multiple injuries to her face and head. While there was no visible sign of a sexual assault, Sierra was found in only a shirt and underwear, according to reports. Her tablet computer and cellphone were missing.

The 46-year-old homeless suspect was known to frequent the area near where Sierra was found. According to the Turkish newspaper Vatan, the man was seen covered with soil and mud on Jan. 21, the day Sierra disappeared. When asked by a witness about what had happened, he replied, "I fell off the wall," the newspaper reported.

Authorities have said it's possible the man tried to first rob Sierra and then rape her, killing her when she resisted.

FoxNews.com's Cristina Corbin contributed to this report.

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DNA links Turkish homeless man to murdered NY mom

HOUSTON, Feb. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --FamilyTreeDNA.com, the genetic genealogy arm of Gene By Gene, Ltd., is dramatically lowering the price of one of its basic Y-DNA tests to $39, making it the lowest-cost DNA test available on the market, in order to take a major step toward universal access by individuals to their personal genetic data.

By dropping the price of its basic Y-DNA test by 60 percent to $39, Family Tree DNA -- the world's largest processor of Y-DNA and full mitochondrial sequences -- is working to eliminate cost as a barrier to individuals introducing themselves to the insights and knowledge to be gained from personal genetic and genomic research.

Family Tree DNA pioneered the concept of direct-to-consumer testing in the field of genetic genealogy more than a decade ago, and has processed more than 5 million discrete tests for more than 700,000 individuals and organizations since it introduced its Y-DNA test in 2000.

The test investigates specific Y-DNA locations for males that provide individuals with their haplogroup, or the deep ancestral origin of the paternal line. In addition, it can indicate if different individuals are likely to share a common male line.

Gene By Gene is also working to lower the cost of Family Tree DNA's comparable mtDNA test, which would be applicable to both females and males and provides data on the direct maternal line. The company expects to unveil new pricing for this test in spring 2013.

As the sponsor DNA Workshop of "Who Do You Think You Are - Live" in London this February, Family Tree DNA expects that the reduced price test will add a great number of individuals to its already large database the largest of its kind in the world.

"We believe the first step to unearthing your personal and family history is to better understand your DNA," Gene By Gene President Bennett Greenspan said. "That's why we are continuously investing in new technology and experienced scientists at our Genomics Research Center, enabling us to conduct tests more accurately, efficiently and at lower prices. Our $39 Y-DNA test is just the latest example of how we are working to help individuals gain access to their genetic data."

Customer InquiriesIndividuals interested in Family Tree DNA's $39 Y-DNA test, or any of its ancestral testing products, can visit http://www.familytreedna.com for more information.

About Gene By Gene, Ltd. Founded in 2000, Gene By Gene, Ltd. provides reliable DNA testing to a wide range of consumer and institutional customers through its four divisions focusing on ancestry, health, research and paternity. Gene By Gene provides DNA tests through its Family Tree DNA division, which pioneered the concept of direct-to-consumer testing in the field of genetic genealogy more than a decade ago. Gene by Gene is CLIA registered and through its clinical-health division DNA Traits offers regulated diagnostic tests. DNA DTC is the Research Use Only (RUO) division serving both direct-to-consumer and institutional clients worldwide. Gene By Gene offers AABB certified relationship tests through its paternity testing division, DNA Findings. The privately held company is headquartered in Houston, which is also home to its state-of-the-art Genomics Research Center.

Media Contact:Kate Croft for Gene By Gene, Ltd. Casteel Schoenborn 888-609-8351 croft@csirfirm.com

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Family Tree DNA Unveils $39 DNA Test in Major Step Toward Universal Access by Individuals to their Own Genetic Data

Feb. 20, 2013 DNA, just like hair, has a tendency to become knotted, thus it may be useful to disentangle it. Unfortunately, it is not possible to "actively" choose at random (or better, in one solution) the filaments with the desired features, and this is why scientists adopt "passive" solutions like, for instance, having the DNA pass through nano-pores or nano-channels.

"Channels and filaments have physical features we may exploit to selectively let a type of molecule pass through" explains Micheletti. "You can have more or less entangled filaments and featuring knots of different types. In our study we have considered a specific DNA filament model and examined its behavior within a nano-channel. We have observed that by varying the channel's width it is possible to drastically change the quantity and complexity of the knots formed by the DNA."

The nano-channels may therefore be a tool with a double function: on one side they are used to understand the "knotting pattern" of a DNA fragment, on the other they may be used to select entangled filaments in the desired manner. The sectors employing DNA, mainly in sequencing, require an increasing number of new techniques to select the DNA filaments according to their characteristics, such as length, shape as well as entanglement.

"Experimental physicists will be, in the first instance, interested is such technique to obtain knot-free DNA," explains Micheletti referring to the usefulness of the methodology (that for now has been studied through simulation). "We should not forget that such method may also help us better understand, for instance, the functioning of topoisomerases, enzymes that have a very important role in cell metabolism." Such enzymes play a key role in an organism: they maintain the DNA stretched out when the cell is not undergoing the cell division process.

"We are used to envisage chromosomes in their typical rod shaped appearance, the one preceding mitosis, that is to say cell reproduction," adds Micheletti. "However, usually the DNA is a sort of indistinct bundle that fills up the cell's nucleus. The topoisomerases maintain the disentangled filaments with the lowest possible rate of knotting, and do so by snipping and reattaching the little pieces of genetic material." Only on the "disentangled" filament all those transcription processes which are fundamental to the survival of an organism can actually function. "The functioning of such enzymes may be better grasped if, before having them perform, we already know to what extent the molecule was entangled in the first place, and our methodology may be useful to this purpose." concludes Micheletti.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Sissa Medialab, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Nano-channel disentangles knotted DNA

An assault took place in Maryland in 2009. Alonzo Jay King was identified by photographs and fingerprints at the scene, and as a result he was arrested and charged with the crime.

While he was being booked for his arrest for assault, under a Maryland statute that allowed the police to take DNA from all people arrested for violent crimes, Kings cheek was swabbed to take a DNA sample even though the police had enough evidence to charge him with the assault.

When the DNA sample was entered in Marylands DNA database, it matched the DNA taken from an unsolved rape that happened back in 2003.

King was convicted of second-degree assault for the case for which he was originally arrested; he was also convicted of the 2003 rape based on the DNA evidence and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

King appealed the rape conviction because he says that taking the DNA sample was a search and seizure for which the state should have obtained a warrant. The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Because the state didnt get the warrant, King argues, it violated his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures.

The Maryland law that requires the taking of a DNA sample at arrest is, according to King, unconstitutional, and so his rape conviction should be thrown out.

The Maryland Court of Appeals, which heard the case, balanced Kings expectation of privacy from warrantless, suspicionless searches against the states right to collect evidence of violent crimes.

But since, according to the court, the authorities investigating the case for which King was arrestedthe assaulthad enough photographic and fingerprint evidence of the crime, they sided with King, stating: Although we have recognized (and no one can reasonably deny) that solving cold cases is a legitimate government interest, a warrantless, suspicionless search can not be upheld by a generalized interest in solving crimes. As a result, the court threw out Kings conviction.

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Do police need a warrant to get your DNA?