Abstract
A trial for attempted murder, currently scheduled for 3 May in Lafayette, Louisiana, may for the first time in the United States feature a new type of evidence: phylogenetic analysis, in which DNA samples from various sources are compared to see how closely related they are. In this case, a doctor is alleged to have tried to kill his former mistress by injecting her with HIV-infected blood from one of his patients, and the prosecution wants to use the analysis to support its case. The evidence was ruled admissible in a preliminary hearing, although the defense is now challenging that ruling.
Keywords
Phylogenetic treeHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)LawFeature (linguistics)BiologyCriminologyGenealogyHistoryPolitical scienceGeneticsPsychologyVirologyPhilosophyLinguistics
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Publication Info
- Year
- 1997
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 275
- Issue
- 5306
- Pages
- 1559-1560
- Citations
- 15
- Access
- Closed
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Cite This
Gretchen Vogel
(1997).
Phylogenetic Analysis: Getting Its Day in Court.
Science
, 275
(5306)
, 1559-1560.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.275.5306.1559
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1126/science.275.5306.1559