Adamson Rust is an anagram of Nostradamus - Eva Glass
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DNA sample could reveal your face
LEAVING EVEN THE SMALLEST AMOUNT OF DNA at the scene of a crime is enough to get you convicted, according to a boffin from Pennsylvania State University.
Dr Mark Shriver claims that there is enough information in a DNA sample to build up an identi-kit picture of a person's face.
His forensic molecular photofitting relies on mapping genes that are linked to skin pigmentation and, in its more complex form, to groups of genes that control facial structure. It has just been used to convict a serial killer in Florida.
In that case most of the witnesses claimed that Derek Todd Lee was white, but genetic analysis of DNA evidence left at the crime scenes showed he was African American.
Shriver wants to broaden the technique by mapping genes that define facial shape. He thinks he can link the gene mix with fixed points on the face, for example eye corners and separation, corners of the mouth, nose tip and length and face edges. µ
L'Inq
Irish Times
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25 people saw the guy and he was white.
But the police still managed to find a way to convict a black guy
Although siblings inherit the same genes from their parents, the dominant and recessive expression of these genes is what makes us all look different. Throw in the effects of aging, environment, life style, hair loss, skin damage (tanning, any one?), cosmetics and such and one wonders how useful this facial mapping technique remains.
None the less, as a geek, I must admit the concept is very cool!!
While this is all well and good napping the local Joe from stealing the old ladies cookies...
It won't do diddly for those that have had plastic surgery or will then choose to have plastic surgery.
Failing that, what about injuries to the face including scarring?
I'm sure this project isn't 100% so I hope they do some trial runs to see how effective it is.
We wouldn't want more innocent people being temporarily gaoled for crimes they haven't committed.
The original article says that "maybe 500 facial markers and 500 ancestry markers" would be enough to build a recognizable picture of the face.
Well, I am not a geneticist but do do research in biomedical sciences. The statistical basis of genetics is sound and there is a lot of data available and more coming up in the near future. However we have very little idea of the mechanisms that produce certain facial features. Doing mechanistic modeling of how the genotype generates the phenotype in the case of the face is not going to be possible in the near future. So if the shared ancestry of individuals can somehow be used to deduce the facial features then it might work. However, even though all humans are related, statistics without knowing anything of the mechanisms behind it might not be enough. "Shriver MD" has according to pubmed an extensive publication record but the biochemical and cell biological mechanisms behind skin pigmentation are much better understood than the mechanisms behind facial morphology. The work can still be useful by excluding some individuals.
And don't forget, it's also encoded in his DNA about how he styles his hair and whether he grows a beard, goatee or shaves it off. :P
$10 says that this tying of specific DNA strands to specific facial structures will end up being used to aid in the making genetically modified sexy babies.
So, the shape of the glasses he's wearing was encoded in his DNA, too? What about the clothes he was wearing when committing the crimes, any chance to reconstruct them as well? ;-P
I preferred the picture of Billy G. This guy looks more like Ali G.