Page 28 - aruba-today-20181117

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 17 November 2018

Identifying wildfire dead: DNA, and likely older methods too

By JENNIFER PELTZ rensic anthropologist sift
Associated Press carefully through the de-
NEW YORK (AP) — Authori- bris, DePaolo said.
ties doing the somber work "Ultimately, you may be
of identifying the victims able to identify that you
of California's deadliest have a female, a male, a
wildfire are drawing on child" from studying the re-
leading-edge DNA tech- mains, but science won't
nology, but older scientific give them a name, he said.
techniques and deduction In such cases, authorities
could also come into play, may have to rely on reason-
experts say. ing to match what's known
With the death toll from about the remains to who is
the Northern California known to be missing.
blaze topping 40 and ex- "That manifest may ulti-
pected to rise, officials mately be the only thing
said they were setting up a you have to potentially
rapid DNA-analysis system, identify that the victims
among other steps. that were recovered from
Rapid DNA is a term for that location could be
portable devices that can those victims," he said.
identify someone's genetic New York medical ex-
material in hours, rather A search and rescue workers searches a car for human remains at a trailer park burned out from aminers have worked to
than days or weeks and the Camp Fire, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. match nearly 22,000 frag-
more extensive equipment Associated Press ments of human remains
it can take to test samples which has been at the "There's two ways to ap- ining dental records, are to the 2,753 people killed
in labs. forefront of the science of proach it: You could do a often a first step. Partially, at the World Trade Center.
A 2017 federal law provid- identifying human remains DNA-led identification ef- that's because victims More than 17 years later, 40
ed a framework for police since 9/11 and is exploring fort ... (or) more tradition- might have dental X-rays percent of the dead have
to use rapid DNA technolo- how it might use a rapid ally, the medical examiner but not personal DNA pro- never had any of their re-
gy when booking suspects DNA device. and their team of people files. Other medical records mains identified.
in criminal investigations, The technology, and DNA will try to establish the bio- — of bone fractures, pros- But the painstaking pro-
and some medical exam- itself, has limits. It is some- logical profiles of the un- thetics or implants, for in- cess still yields results: The
iners have started using it times impossible to extract identified and try to identify stance — also can be help- remains of one victim,
to identify the dead or are DNA from incinerated re- them through more tradi- ful. 26-year-old Scott Michael
weighing deploying it in di- mains, and trying to iden- tional methods," says Dr. And after a disaster, a cru- Johnson, were identified in
sasters. tify remains through DNA Anthony Falsetti, a George cial part of identifying vic- July for the first time.
"In many circumstances, requires having a sample Mason University forensic tims is developing a mani- Whatever the process
without rapid DNA technol- from the person when alive science professor and fo- fest of the missing people, proves to be for California
ogy, it's just such a lengthy or building a profile by sam- rensic anthropologist and a studying the site for clues authorities, DePaolo said,
process," says Frank De- pling close relatives. specialist in evaluating hu- as to who might have been "it's a tough and complex
Paolo, a deputy commis- But that doesn't mean man remains. there and meticulously job that they have ahead
sioner of the New York City there's no hope of identify- In fact, more traditional searching for remains, of them, and our condo-
medical examiners' office, ing the dead without DNA. methods, such as exam- sometimes by having a fo- lences go out to them."q

NASA accepts delivery of European

powerhouse for moonship

By MARCIA DUNN Space Center on Friday to as SLS for Space Launch
AP Aerospace Writer mark the occasion. System, will launch the
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) The newly arrived power- combo.
— NASA has accepted de- house, or service module, The European component
livery of a key European will propel NASA's Orion "allows us to take people
part needed to power the capsule to the moon dur- farther into space than
world's next-generation ing a test flight without pas- we've ever gone before,
moonship. sengers planned for 2020. A so it is a really big event for
U.S. and European lead- mega rocket under devel- all of the Orion program,"
ers gathered at Kennedy opment by NASA, known said NASA's Orion program
manager Mark Kirasich. European Space Agency director general, Jan Worner, far
Orion and the attached right, answers questions during a panel discussion with U.S. and
service module are meant European leaders, from left, Bill Hill, NASA deputy associate
to fly near the moon, but administrator for exploration systems, Philippe Berthe, ESA
not land. Future missions program manager, Mark Kirasich, NASA Orion program
manager, and Sue Motil, Orion European Service Module
will carry astronauts, with integration manager at the Kennedy Space Center Friday,
the goal of building an Nov. 16, 2018, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to mark the arrival of
outpost just beyond the a service module, that will propel NASA's Orion capsule to the
moon that could enable moon. Behind them is a model of the Orion capsule and the
lunar landings and Mars service module.
expeditions.q Associated Press