The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Crime Laboratory in Washington, D.C., will soon begin to use DNA testing methods regularly. Scientists at the FBI's Forensic Science Research and Training Center in Quantico, Va., have recently completed a comprehensive program in which various DNA testing methods were identified, evaluated for forensic applications, and subjected to a series of studies to establish their reliability for use on physical evidence collected during criminal investigations.
Biological specimens such as blood, hair, semen, and other tissues are among the most frequently recovered types of evidence found at the scenes of violent crimes. In the examination and interpretation of these and other types of evidence, the forensic scientist faces uniquely challenging analytical problems. For example, evidence brought to the crime laboratory comes in a wide variety of types, forms, and conditions, thus making standard analytical procedures sometimes difficult to implement. Specimens may be altered or completely consumed ...
