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A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 28 april 2018
A look at DNA testing that ID'd a suspected serial killer
By MICHAEL BALSAMO tied him to the DNA evi- by any third party. the forensics community.
Associated Press dence. ___ Typically with the method,
Joseph James DeAngelo, Authorities did not iden- HAS THIS EVER BEEN DONE investigators search law
who authorities suspect is tify the DNA websites that BEFORE? enforcement databases
the so-called Golden State were used. The issue of law enforce- to identify likely relatives of
Killer responsible for at least ___ ment comparing DNA to the person who may have
a dozen murders and 50 IS THAT LEGAL? samples in genealogical committed the crime.
rapes in the 1970s and 80s, Ancestry.com and 23and- databases garnered na- Critics say that familial DNA
was arrested more than Me, two of the largest com- tional attention several testing allows for searches
three decades after the panies that produce ge- years ago when a New Or- of innocent people who
last killing with the help of netic profiles for customers leans filmmaker was iden- happen to be related to
information from an online who provide DNA samples, tified in an Idaho murder someone suspected of
genealogical site. Investi- say they don't cooperate based on a DNA sample committing a crime or oth-
gators haven't disclosed with law enforcement un- that his father had given erwise provided their DNA
many key elements about This undated law enforcement less they receive a court years earlier. for inclusion in a database.
how and why they took this photo provided by the Sacra- order. As part of a church-spon- Law enforcement officials
mento County, Calif., Sheriff's
very unusual step to find a Office shows Joseph James Both said Thursday they sored genealogy project, have argued the tech-
suspect. DeAngelo. did not receive a court or- the man's father had pro- nique can provide investi-
Here's a look at the case Associated Press der in the DeAngelo case vided his DNA, which was gators with valuable leads.
and some of the questions and were not otherwise in- later sold to Ancestry.com. In 2008, California became
surrounding it: DeAngelo after determin- volved. The company was required the first state in the country
HOW DID AUTHORITIES ing one of his relatives Ancestry.com has said it to identify the man to po- to authorize the testing. It
IDENTIFY HIM? whose genetic information hasn't received any such lice after receiving a court since has been used in at
The Sacramento County was on the site was a famil- requests for genetic infor- order. But he was eventu- least eight other states.
district attorney's office said ial match for the DNA from mation in the last three ally cleared after his DNA The method led to the ar-
Thursday DNA from one the crime scene. years. didn't match the evidence rest of Lonnie Franklin Jr.
of the crime scenes was They then set up surveil- A 23andMe spokesman at the crime scene. in the Los Angeles "Grim
checked against genetic lance at DeAngelo's home said the company "has ___ Sleeper" serial killings from
profiles from genealogical in Citrus Heights, California, never given customer infor- WHAT IS THE DNA TEST THAT 1985 to 2007. Los Angeles
websites that collect DNA just outside Sacramento mation to law enforcement INVESTIGATORS USED IN County sheriff's officials also
samples to help people and collected two "dis- officials" and that their THAT CASE? used it last year to solve the
learn about their family carded DNA samples" from platform doesn't allow for The technique is known as decades-old killing of the
backgrounds. him. One didn't contain the comparison of genetic familial DNA testing and it ex-wife of Righteous Broth-
Authorities zeroed in on enough DNA but the other data that was processed has raised ethical issues in ers singer Bill Medley.q
EU moves to full ban on pesticides that harm bees
By RAF CASERT "beacon of hope for bees.
Associated Press Finally our governments are
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Euro- listening."
pean Union made a key Over the past several years,
breakthrough on Friday to there's been an alarming
completely ban pesticides drop in bee populations
that harm bees and their and there were fears it
crop pollination. would start to seriously af-
The 28 member states got fect crop production since
a large majority, represent- bees are necessary for the
ing some three-quarters of spread of pollen and repro-
its population, backing the duction.
ban on the three prevalent The EU says it used a scien-
neonicotinoid pesticides tific review to identify pesti-
which will take effect at the cides as one of the factors
end of the year. The deci- causing the decline along
sion builds on a limited ban with disease and climate
which has been in effect change among others.
This Jan. 28, 2014 file photo shows a hive of honeybees on display at the Vermont Beekeeping since 2013. Swiss agribusiness com-
Supply booth at the annual Vermont Farm Show at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, Antonia Staats of the Avaaz pany Syngenta called the
Vt. campaign group called it a decision "disappointing"
Associated Press and added that "evidence
clearly shows that neonic-
otinoids pose a minimum
threat to bee health com-
pared to a lack of food, dis-
eases and cold weather."
Others disagree.
The European Commission
is set to adopt the decision
in the next few weeks and
the ban will kick in by the
end of the year.q