D’Amato,M.E.; Bodner,M.; Butler,J.M.; Gusmao,L.; Linacre,A.; Parson,W.; Schneider,P.M.; Vallone,P.; Carracedo,A.; Forensic Science International: Genetics and Forensic Science International: Reports communicate research on a variety of biological materials using genetics and genomic methods. Numerous guidelines have been produced to secure standardization and quality of results of scientific investigations. Yet, no specific guidelines have been produced for the ethical acquisition of such data. These guidelines summarize universally adopted principles for conducting ethical research on biological materials, and provide details of the general procedures for conducting ethical research on materials of human, animal, plant and environmental origin. [Read More]

Palencia-Madrid,L.; Xavier,C.; delaPuente,M.; Hohoff,C.; Phillips,C.; Kayser,M.; Parson,W.; The study of DNA to predict externally visible characteristics (EVCs) and the biogeographical ancestry (BGA) from unknown samples is gaining relevance in forensic genetics. Technical developments in Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS) enable the simultaneous analysis of hundreds of DNA markers, which improves successful Forensic DNA Phenotyping (FDP). The EU-funded VISAGE (VISible Attributes through GEnomics) Consortium has developed various targeted MPS-based lab tools to apply FDP in routine forensic analyses. [Read More]

Xavier,C.; delaPuente,M.; Phillips,C.; Eduardoff,M.; Heidegger,A.; Mosquera-Miguel,A.; Freire-Aradas,A.; Lagace,R.; Wootton,S.; Power,D.; Parson,W.; Lareu,M.V.; Daniel,R.; DNA intelligence, and particularly the inference of biogeographical ancestry (BGA) is increasing in interest, and relevance within the forensic genetics community. The majority of current MPS-based forensic ancestry-informative assays focus on the differentiation of major global populations. The recently published MAPlex (Multiplex for the Asia Pacific) panel contains 144 SNPs and 20 microhaplotypes and aims to improve the differentiation of populations in the Asia Pacific region. [Read More]

Sauzier,G.; Bodner,M.; Bidmos,M.A.; Horsman,G.;

Forensic Sci Int Reports 2020 2:100064

Garcia,O.; Alonso,S.; Huber,N.; Bodner,M.; Parson,W.; The Basque Country has been the focus of population (genetic) and evolutionary studies for decades, as it represents an interesting evolutionary feature: it is the only European country where a non-Indo-European language is still spoken today and, for which there are no known living or extinct relatives. Early studies that were based on anatomical and serological methods, along with subsequent molecular genetic investigations, contain controversial interpretations of their data. [Read More]