DNA Evidence can be Falsified

Once the stuff of science fiction, faking DNA evidence is a reality. The New York Time reports that some Israeli scientists have found a way to fabricate DNA evidence.

The scientists fabricated blood and saliva samples containing DNA from a person other than the donor of the blood and saliva. They also showed that if they had access to a DNA profile in a database, they could construct a sample of DNA to match that profile without obtaining any tissue from that person.

This is the part that concerns me:

The other technique relied on DNA profiles, stored in law enforcement databases as a series of numbers and letters corresponding to variations at 13 spots in a person’s genome.

It is unlikely a petty criminal will have access to the necessary profiles but, more persons being put into government DNA databases, all DNA evidence can now be challenged as suspect.

Summary: Authentication of forensic DNA samples