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Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court

Biogeographical Ancestry

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Cartoon image of a DNA double helix with a map of the globe overtop of it
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) (see reuse policy).

Although controversial, a few laboratories are now predicting a person's biogeographical ancestry based on SNP markers that have been highly correlated with certain geographic regions.

For example, a crime scene sample showing genetic markers that have been specifically associated with individuals from a certain part of the world may suggest to crime investigators that a suspect may have features associated with that region.

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