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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated

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From: Ilaine	1/2/2005 2:01:23 PM
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After reading about the huge numbers of dead being disposed of in mass graves after the tsunami, it strikes me that people may not be aware how easy it is to preserve DNA for genetic testing. A simple cotton swab can be used to pick up cells and then wrapped in wax paper, and a notation attached as to disposal of the body. The usual place to collect cells from the living is the inside of the cheek, the so-called buccal swab. That might be asking a lot from someone disposing of a battered corpse, but surely it's not difficult to collect some surface tissue or blood using a cotton swab. Yes, this can get contaminated with DNA from other bodies or the collector, but I think it would be worthwhile to make the attempt. >>Va. Out Front In DNA Tests Of Old Cases - Swabs, Exonerations Led to Warner's Order By Jerry Markon Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, October 5, 2004; Page B01 Virginia's top forensic scientist was skimming through a convicted rapist's file trying to confirm that all the evidence in the case had been destroyed. Almost by accident, he ran across a yellowed old cotton swab taped to the bottom of a testing chart. The DNA on that swab led to the exoneration of a Virginia man who had served 15 years in prison. And the fluke of its discovery set in motion a chain of events that resulted in Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner's extraordinary decision last week to reexamine dozens of old criminal cases to determine whether new technology could exonerate more prisoners. washingtonpost.com

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