How Statistics Can Foul the Meaning of DNA Evidence

azoblue writes with a piece in New Scientist that might make you rethink the concept of "statistical certainty." As the article puts it, "even when analysts agree that someone could be a match for a piece of DNA evidence, the statistical weight assigned to that match can vary enormously, even by orders of magnitude." Azoblue writes: "For instance, in one man's trial the DNA evidence statistic ranged from 1/95,000 to 1/13, depending on the different weighing methods used by the defense and the prosecution."

Comments

Re:1/13

[blair1q]

It's nice to see there are those who still think we were right to lie about WMD in Iraq, and have to express their disgust for the truth by hiding behind mod points.