The controversial company using DNA to sketch the faces of criminals

The controversial company using DNA to sketch the faces of criminals

The double-edged sword of forensic genealogy

A controversial case led to DNA database GEDMatch tightening its rules on sharing data with law-enforcement agencies. For Parabon Nanolabs, a company which relies on such data, that meant pivoting to a different product: mugshots generated from the scant DNA left behind in crime-scene samples. Both techniques raise a myriad of ethical quandaries, made all the more stark by examples of the state imposing compulsory DNA collection on vulnerable groups in the United States and China. “Because DNA is so powerful, we tend to see it as a silver bullet,” says biologist and engineer Yves Moreau. “It’s like a knife — people underestimate just how sharp they can be.”

Nature | 14 min read