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Scientists Find Way To Combat Forged DNA

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the i'll-see-your-dna-evidence-and-raise-you-an-authenticator dept.

An anonymous reader writes to tell us that while scientists may have learned how to forge DNA, it appears that a group of Israeli scientists has created a DNA authentication method that is able to distinguish between real and faked DNA samples. "The new process was tested on natural and artificial samples of blood, saliva and touched surfaces, with complete success, Nucleix said. It also identifies 'contaminated' DNA that has been mixed with two or more samples."

2 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. Full disclosure? by hansraj · · Score: 5, Informative

    Dan Frumkin, the lead researcher of the group that created a way to "fake DNA" is the founder of Nucleix, the company selling the test for such forgery.

    Not that this has any bearing whatsoever on the quality of the research behind all this, but still one would think that such information was relevant to this news.

  2. Disclosed in the News by LionKimbro · · Score: 4, Informative

    I don't see any foul play -- the article specifically says just this:

    Israeli scientists find way to combat forged DNA -- very first line reads: "Israeli scientists have developed new technology to fight biological identity theft after realising that DNA evidence found at crime scenes can be easily falsified."

    Then further on: "Elon Ganor is CEO and co-founder of Nucleix, an Israeli company specialised in DNA analysis that conducted the research."

    Further on: "To combat the practice, Nucleix has developed a DNA authentication method that distinguishes between real and fake samples."

    The article is very clear that the discoverers were also the inventors of the counter-technology.