DNA analysis accurate to the area
Tomsk geneticists have learned to find out the place of birth of a person by DNA
"If we have a DNA sample, we can tell where this person is from, sometimes to the exact area. <...> Even by a small amount of biological material – a few hairs, a blood stain – it is possible to determine the ethno–territorial origin of any person," the deputy Director for Scientific Affairs of the Research Institute of Medical Genetics Vadim Stepanov is quoted in the message.
Stepanov explained that the genome of each person is individual. Over the past 15 years, Tomsk scientists have studied the gene pool of residents of different regions of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Thanks to the data obtained, they can identify areas in the human DNA that are specific to a certain ethnic group. The accuracy of the test depends on the size of the DNA data bank that scientists have.
The report clarifies that Tomsk scientists have already helped Novosibirsk and Kemerovo police officers. For example, they found out that the father of a man who had committed crimes against minors in the Novosibirsk region since 2003 was from the Barguzinsky district of Buryatia.
"This allowed us to sharply narrow down the circle of suspects, and two weeks later the criminal was detained. He lived in Novosibirsk, but his father is really a Buryat from the Barguzinsky district, his mother is Russian," Stepanov said.
The press service of innovative organizations stressed that the same methods can be useful in the search and identification of people in situations related to disasters, military operations, terrorist attacks and the like. In addition, the technology will make it possible to detect certain diseases common in certain nationalities and caused by genetic mutations.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru16.02.2015