DNA rewriting our memory: Recovering missing people through their genetic profile


Abstract


Continuous advances in DNA analysis for forensic purposes have set milestones in the search for genetic identity in criminal cases, disasters, and disappearances. Technological advances in the study of our genome now allow us to infer whose remains have been found, for example, at a mass grave or an anonymous tomb, and to extrapolate where they lived, their physical appearance, or their family origin. Thanks to a series of fixed variations between individuals, the analysis of DNA of forensic interest allows the identification of individuals via their genetic profile. This identification can be carried out by comparing the profile of the human remains with those of known profiles or by their compatibility with DNA inherited by their relatives.


Keywords


missing persons; genetic profile; methylation profile; phenotypic profile; biogeographic profile

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