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Researchers Develop Tool To Identify Physical Traits From DNA

Researchers have developed a new tool to help forensic experts find leads on cold cases.

The program, called HIrisPlex-S, can use DNA samples to identify eye, hair and skin color.

Susan Walsh is an assistant professor of biology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and a co-leader on the project. She says while the team developed the tools for identifying eye and hair color in 2013, identifying skin pigmentation is new.

"We began with the first model for eye color prediction, and that was in 2012," Walsh says. "And then we moved on to hair color. That was about 2013, 2014. And now we're on skin color."

Walsh says current technology uses comparative profiling, where scientists create a DNA profile and compare it with other profiles to find a match. But the HIris tool allows the DNA itself to be an identifier.

Walsh says that provides a new way to look at DNA as evidence.

"A cold case or a missing persons investigation where there is no match to a comparative profile, we'd like to be able to see our tools being used to give some type of direction to the investigation," Walsh says.

Walsh says the tool is over 90 percent accurate for determining blue or brown eyes. It is also between 80 and 90 percent accurate for blond, brown, black and red hair. And in a sample group of about 200 people, they accurately determined skin pigmentation about 80 percent of the time.

Walsh says the paper outlining how to use HIris is already available to download for free, and forensic scientists could start using it immediately.

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