Scientists Create Fake DNA

Posted by John Farrier in Science & Tech on August 18, 2009 at 2:52 pm


A laboratory at Nucleix, a life-sciences company, was able to manufacture DNA that would be accurate enough to pass forensic scrutiny:

“You can just engineer a crime scene,” Nucleix founder Dan Frumkin told The New York Times. “The current forensic procedure fails to distinguish between such samples of blood, saliva, and touched surfaces with artificial DNA, and corresponding samples with in vivo generated (natural) DNA,” Frumkin and co-authors wrote in a recent Forensic Science International: Genetics study that announced the technological achievement.

Fortunately, the company offers a solution: one particular methyl group appears in naturally-occuring DNA, but not in Nucleix’s product.

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12 comments to "Scientists Create Fake DNA"

  1. required
    August 18th, 2009 at 3:10 pm

    I was reading about this yesterday, very disturbing. Apparently pretty much anyone can do this and as for their solution, it doesn't sound like much of one. The other scary facet of this is that insurance companies could easily get your DNA without you knowing and drop you for anything that they find. Another reason why we need health care reform.

  2. philliposophy
    August 18th, 2009 at 3:15 pm

    What a cynical endeavor.

  3. vonskippy
    August 18th, 2009 at 6:17 pm

    You mean OJ didn't do it???

  4. Dirit
    August 18th, 2009 at 8:08 pm

    Not more cynical than your average cop.

  5. nolly
    August 18th, 2009 at 8:37 pm

    Seems like an ethical minefield.

  6. Christophe
    August 18th, 2009 at 9:12 pm

    yeah, a new CSI plot!

  7. Anonymouse
    August 18th, 2009 at 10:07 pm

    Again, Neatorama being misleading. They REPLICATED DNA, not MANUFACTURED.

  8. Lasse
    August 19th, 2009 at 1:32 am

    You really don't need it, do you? If you get at bone marrow transplant, your blood dna will change?

  9. Digital Marketing
    August 19th, 2009 at 3:06 am

    Fabricate DNA is, wow, fascinating to know. I just cant believe how science technology can be so advanced. And, I pity those innocent people who were convicted because of this kind of fabrication.

  10. TimO
    August 19th, 2009 at 8:54 am

    Great, so now they've given an excuse to every scumbag attorney to wipe the books of one of the most powerful crime tools of the past 100 years.

    Even if it would cost $20million and 10years to fark up a crime scene, the attorneys will be able to scream, "but it MAY.. JUST MAY be possible" and get all DNA evidence thrown out.

    Thanks guys at Nucleix... (wonder who's funding THEM??)

  11. acv
    August 19th, 2009 at 11:58 am

    @#8:
    No one said anyone had actually been framed this way, just that it could be done.

  12. henryyoungh
    August 19th, 2009 at 3:31 pm

    Well, DNA has always been a good form of evidence and proof as to really what happened. I believe in DNA, 100%


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