Osama bin LadenGEEKYARD.COM
In addition to visual recognition, Osama bin Laden's identity was confirmed through DNA tests, US officials confirmed on Monday (May 2). The Telegraph reports that bin Laden's DNA was matched to a tissue sample from the brain of his late sister subpoenaed by the FBI several years ago. Others speculate that the government already had samples of bin Laden's own DNA, or that samples were collected from his living half-siblings and children. Whatever the source of the DNA, common PCR methods would likely have been used to complete the analysis in a matter of hours, notes Christine Wilcox at ScientificAmerican.com. The strength of a match made between bin Laden's DNA and that of his relatives would depend on how many related DNA samples were available for comparison, and how closely they are related to bin Laden, Allison Williams Dobson, a lawyer and molecular biologist at University...
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