Editor's note

Applying genealogy “family tree” techniques to forensic DNA analysis is now a tool for solving cold cases – as we learned after the recent arrest of the suspected “Golden State Killer”.

But genealogy is a complex and difficult process, prone to error and misinterpretation. Without expert knowledge, false assumptions can be made and investigative resources wasted.

In the first instalment of our series: When DNA Talks, Nathan Scudder and Dennis McNevin explore the legal, ethical and social implications of how these technologies are being used.

Shelley Hepworth

Section Editor: Technology

Top story

Females who remain unidentified at the time of burial are named ‘Jane Doe’. Findagrave

Is your genome really your own? The public and forensic value of DNA

Nathan Scudder, University of Canberra; Dennis McNevin, University of Technology Sydney

We're at the point in DNA technology where individuals who – having parted with $99 and a small vial of saliva – may suddenly find themselves in a criminal investigation.

Environment + Energy

  • Recent Australian droughts may be the worst in 800 years

    Mandy Freund, University of Melbourne; Ben Henley, University of Melbourne; Kathryn Allen, University of Melbourne; Patrick Baker, University of Melbourne

    Australia has always suffered heat and flood, but a detailed seasonal rainfall reconstruction of the last 800 years shows the extremes are intensifying.

  • Australia's reptiles may be spreading rat poison through the food chain

    Michael Lohr, Edith Cowan University; Robert Davis, Edith Cowan University

    Rat baits are widely used to keep rodent pests at bay. But many Australian reptiles are resistant to the poison, potentially spreading these deadly compounds up the food chain.

Politics + Society

Health + Medicine

Arts + Culture

Business + Economy

Cities

  • Don't forget buses: six rules for improving city bus services

    Jason Byrne, University of Tasmania; Emma Pharo, University of Tasmania

    Trains and trams get most attention, but 'tweaking' bus transit can transform cities. Buses can be more cost-effective and deliver better service, especially for small to mid-sized cities.

Science + Technology

 

Featured jobs

Program Coordinator: Knowvaw Program

University of Melbourne — Parkville, Victoria

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer In Teacher Librarianship

Charles Sturt University — Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

More Jobs

Featured events

HYDRO18 Conference and Trade Exhibition

Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf, Pyrmont, Sydney, New South Wales, 2009, Australia — Australasian Hydrographic Society

Christophe Macri

PO Box 1371, Mitcham North, Victoria, 3132, Australia — Australian Society for Immunology

Global Business Innovation Conversations 2018

RMIT University Storey Hall Level 5, Building 16 336 - 348 Swanston Street Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia — RMIT University

2018 Pollock Memorial Lecture: Professor Andrea Morello

Roundhouse, Kensington, New South Wales, 2052, Australia — UNSW

More events
 

Contact us here to list your job, or here to list your event.

For sponsorship opportunities, email us here