Identifying and Communicating Genetic Determinants of Facial Features:Practical Considerations in Forensic Molecular Photofitting

Facial features are under strong genetic control, but little is known regarding the genes underlying variation among faces. The degree to which facial features can be predicted from DNA is also unknown, but there is abundant and compelling evidence that facial morphology is heritable. The primary objective of this project is to identify and characterize genes that are involved with facial features. This information generated by this research can lead to the ability to use DNA testing of biological evidence to predict the facial appearance of an individual (e.g., victim, suspect), which will in turn provide useful investigative leads. ca/ncf