Lie Detectors Are Junk Science, but We Keep Using Them
Amit Katwala’s Tremors in the Blood explores how unreliable technologies have been used in our criminal justice system.
DNA
Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics and a Tax Resister, Turns 200
Mendel had a history of run-ins with the state.
You Do Not Need To Store Your Kids' DNA in Case of Emergencies
Fearmongering about mass school shootings leads to some dumb, privacy-threatening ideas.
Cops Now Need a Warrant for 23andMe and AncestryDNA Searches in Maryland and Montana
Two states have passed laws requiring court approval before the cops can use genetic genealogy services to track down a suspect.
How Detectives Caught the Golden State Killer—and Unleashed a Catastrophe for Civil Liberties
Police were finally able to catch the serial killer using DNA genealogy databases—violating many innocent people's constitutional right to privacy.
He Was Executed for Murder. New DNA Evidence Implicates Someone Else.
Ledell Lee was put to death in 2017 for a killing he likely didn't commit.
After Nearly 30 Years, Pennsylvania's Walter Ogrod is Released From Death Row
False testimony and prosecutorial misconduct put Walter Ogrod on death row.
Immigrants Have a Right to Privacy Too
Forcibly collecting DNA samples from immigrants in detention is yet another horrifying form of mass surveillance
A Wrongfully Convicted Kansas Man Can Now Sue the Corrupt Cop Who Framed Him
Lamonte McIntyre served 23 years in prison for murders that he did not commit.
DNA Testing Could Prove That Arkansas Executed an Innocent Man Three Years Ago
The ACLU and the Innocence Project are suing to uncover the evidence.
Tennessee Court Refuses To Test DNA Evidence That Could Exonerate a Man the State Already Executed
According to the law, the deceased Sedley Alley is the only person who can file a petition for post-conviction DNA testing.
Children, Refugees, and Anyone Booked by ICE Will Have DNA Added to Criminal Database
Plus: Parents sue Illinois child services, Pennsylvania mulls liquor-store weed sales, Giuliani consorts with Manafort, and more...
Stossel: Don't Be Scared of Designer Babies
Gene-editing technology will eventually allow parents to alter their future offspring's intelligence, height, eye color, and more. And that's worth celebrating.
California Will Keep Your DNA on File Even if You Haven't Been Convicted of a Crime
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Equal Justice Society, and others are challenging the practice in court.
DNA Evidence Exonerates a Man Who Spent 19 Years in Prison for the Death of His Lover
The California Innocence Project helped free Horace Roberts from prison.
The Golden State Killer and Your Genetic Privacy
Do you have a reasonable expectation of genetic privacy under the Fourth Amendment?
A Rogues' Gallery of Bad Forensics Labs
Despite improvements in DNA matching and reliability, forensics labs across the country still continue to train and monitor technicians improperly.
DNA Evidence Frees the Innocent
But when we're not careful, this powerful technology can help imprison the wrongly accused
Canadian Company Offers DNA Preservation Service
Because why stop at preserving the memory of a loved one?
The Trouble With Skin-Cell DNA Evidence
"Touch DNA" evidence can easily implicate the wrong person, yet police are increasingly relying on it.
States Make Good Progress on Rape-Kit Testing, But Other Efforts To Secure Justice for Victims May Go Too Far
Momentum around the collection, testing, and tracking of DNA evidence from sexual assaults is growing.
Jurassic Pigeon
Bringing extinct animals back to life is now within our grasp, says Long Now Foundation researcher Ben Novak.
Easy New Gene Editing Technique CRISPR Conjures Fears of a Brave New World
Is it immoral to slow progress toward curing diseases and creating more environmentally benign products?
CORRECTION: Ancestry.com Hands Over Client DNA Test Results to Cops Witho?u?t? a Warrant*
A pretty good way to discourage people from using gene testing services
The FBI's Forensics Disaster
This latest failure of criminal science again highlights the need for massive reforms at law enforcement agencies.
Testing Houston Rape Kit Backlog Yields 850 DNA Matches
Look, anti-rape policies that actually yield results!
2014 Was Another Banner Year for Letting Innocent People Out of Jail
Last year 125 people were freed from prison due to innocence, including six on death row.
New DNA Evidence Likely Means Mentally Ill Michigan Man Behind Bars Since 1996 Not Involved in Rape/Murder He Confessed to
Innocence clinic pushing to have him released
FDA Warns Company to Stop Selling Genetic Testing Kits
Don't have the proper permission
Supreme Court Won't Hear Case Connected to Duke Lacrosse Rape Trial
Players wanted courts to determine their rights had been violated