Eye on DNA Headlines for 14 September 2007

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted September 14, 2007 in DNA and the Law, Eye on DNA Headlines

• Bode Technology Group has used DNA testing to help the New York medical examiner’s office identify the remains of Laura Lee Morabito. Ms. Morabito was on board American Airlines flight 11 which crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The remains of more than 1,100 people who died at the World Trade Center still have not been identified although more than 20,000 human fragments have been entered into a DNA database.
• The Consortium for the Barcode of Life will be meeting next week in Taiwan to discuss the use of DNA “barcodes” to identify illegally imported food, the country of origin for fruit pests, the use of endangered species for human use and/or consumption, the spread of infectious organisms like malaria, or the types of birds most likely to collide with aircraft.
• Although the US Citizenship and Immigration Services has been requesting (not requiring) DNA tests from applicants to prove family relationships since the 1990’s, France is just now considering the same approach. Civil liberties groups, however, are strongly against the idea pointing out that guardians of children don’t necessarily have to be biologically related to them. And sadly, the New York Times reported earlier this year that some immigrants learn unwelcome news; some men find out that they are not their children’s biological father.
• The UK Human Genetics Commission is asking that genetic discrimination by insurance companies and employers be banned in the proposed Single Equality Act. Currently there is only a voluntary moratorium in place.
• The DNA Network has welcomed its 26th member, the official blog of the Molecular Systems Biology journal – The Seven Stones .
• Thank you to Physician Genome for listing Eye on DNA on their homepage, which is under construction. (Note: Corrected link)

Tags: genetics, genes, genome, genomics, dna, 9-11, immigration, france, genetic discrimination

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Pingback by Eye on DNA Headlines for 5 October 2007

2007-10-05 21:16:44

[...] immigrants to provide DNA evidence that their relatives are biologically related to them. As I mentioned before, this practice is has been in place for years in the United States. Sengalese President Abdoulaye [...]

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