Emerging field of `forensic genealogy´ links DNA testing and family histories to solve cold cases
(World News USA)

SANTA CRUZ - When they´re planning to rob a liquor store, most criminals think to wear gloves and cover their faces. But few of them commit to shaving their heads to avoid leaving behind even a single strand of hair. In the future, however, they may want to add that task to their modus operandi. Packed with DNA, hair is quickly becoming a powerful source to help catch lawbreakers. Hair has been notoriously tricky to analyze, but a new approach by UC Santa Cruz researchers - pulling DNA from samples that are damaged or contaminated - is expanding the available pool of forensic evidence. DNA and ancestry records are now being used together to build family trees to identify rotten apples among...