Researchers have developed a tool that would create a mugshot using a person's DNA. This technology can be utilized not only for forensic analysis, but for creating a better look of humanity's ancestors, as well.
Researchers from the Penn State and the Catholic University of Leuven, led by Mark Shriver, a geneticist, and Peter Claes, an imaging specialist,had devised an investigative tool that would help create a photograph of a person's face using genetic, racial and gender marker in the person's DNA.
They recruited 600 volunteers, who have mixed European and West African ancestry to see differences in facial structures. After taking a three-dimensional (3-D) image of their faces, the researchers created a network of about 7000 points, which will be used to accurately measure the structural makeup of genes attached to gender and descent.
After that, they tested each volunteer for 76 genetic variants that could cause facial abnormalities and cut off 20 variants that could be traced back to facial shape.
According to a report by New Scientist, the results are not admissible in court, but it has been proven effective in identifying suspects. In fact, Shriver has already proven that this new tool is more accurate than previous models. It has been used to identify a couple of serial cases in Pennsylvania. If the system can be persuaded into using this computer-based DNA analysis, it could be a very helpful tool in the next years.
The Verge reported that there are still more work to be done. They still need to accomplish similar studies in different races and nationalities, and successfully produce similar results, so the technology can also be used to improve images of ancient human clade, whose looks just came from educated guesswork on fossils.
Further details of this study can be read in the March 20 issue of PLOSGenetics.
