Kitties Fight Crime With DNA

Ubiquitous cat hair a valuable forensic tool
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 22, 2010 4:50 PM CDT
Kitties Fight Crime With DNA
In this Jan. 20, 2010 file photo, an abandoned cat sits at the animal home Winkel in Kloten in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland.   (AP Photo/Keystone/Gaetan Bally, File)

Dog is man's best friend, but cats can fight crime. Thanks to their tendency to groom and shed, household cats carpet a home—and anyone who sets foot in it—with DNA evidence. Kitty forensics have already led to one murder conviction after hair from a victim's cat was found on the killer's jacket. "Cat fur obtained from a crime scene has the potential to link perpetrators, accomplices, witnesses and victims," says an expert.

Cats are ideal assistant investigators because their fur is a ready source of short tandem repeat and mitochondrial DNA. Scientists have established a feline DNA database that maps out the location of unique markers that make forensic analysis possible, Discover reports. And don't worry, dog lovers: Adding canine DNA to the database is under consideration.
(More cat stories.)

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