Submitted by Pannkakskungen: Forensic scientists could use DNA retrieved from a crime scene to predict the surname of the suspect, according to a new British study. It is not perfect, but could be an important investigative tool when combined with other intelligence. The method exploits genetic likenesses between men who share the same surname, and may help prioritise inquiries. Details of the research from the University of Leicester, UK, appear in the latest edition of Current Biology. The technique is based on work comparing the Y chromosomes of men with the same surname. The Y chromosome is a package of genetic material found normally only in males. It is passed down from father to son, just like a surname. "The evidence would not be hanging on the Y chromosome, all it would give you is an investigative tool to prioritise a sub-set of your suspects," said co-author Dr Mark Jobling from the University of Leicester.

Mining the information would require building a database of at least 40,000 surnames and the Y chromosome profiles associated with them. Dr Jobling emphasises the limitations of the method; it could have some predictive power in just under half the population, after the most common surnames like Smith, Taylor and Williams have been excluded. But he says it has the potential to cut down on the police workload. "If you had a big enough database, it would give you from your crime scene sample a list of names," Dr Jobling, from the University of Leicester, told the BBC News website. "That would help you prioritise your suspect list. Some investigations have very large suspect lists, in the thousands."

View: Full Article | Source: BBC News

The title is a bit misleading and weighs heavily toward the paranormal. However, the method is sound and would be better explained as using familial connections to ID suspects. We can trace a person's identity via DNA and linking it and or mitochondrial DNA to a group of persons. Sounds like a good new tool for forensics, hope they don't abuse it...

I was thinking I suppose along the same lines.
Knowing our justice system and how it does not bother them if they convict the innocent just as long as they get a conviction to shut a case, I can see them selecting their victim to prosecute from any who were in the area that only match the DNA family type, and a bad lab giving them what they need to run with it as proof positive.

I agree with rykster...i was enterred this thread under false pretenses! that said, i don't think i'll fault it. sound science, with good results, and a myriad of possible applications..cool

This might work in a completely homogenous society or nation, but none really exist anymore. In America, for instance, where crime is grossly and disproportionately committed by one group more than another- what does one land the surname "Smith"? The topic cannot be adequately discussed without the honesty it most deservedly warrants. I do not expect to see this post on the forum. But so it goes.

DNA will bestow much info that many will vehemently oppose as some of us want to wish a perfect world. But, there is much proof in the pudding.

Bring on the pudding.

This is why I said that the title is misleading. It is not so much a surname you would be tied to, but a familial group. One that shares aspects of their DNA.