LinkNotes: forensic

2012-09-18

Face-Shaping Genes Identified

Five genes found to determine face shape | TG Daily

DNA evidence could soon be enough to help law enforcement draw up photofits of criminal suspects, thanks to a new genetic discovery.

Five genes have been found to determine human facial shapes, says an international team.

"These are exciting first results that mark the beginning of the genetic understanding of human facial morphology," says professor Manfred Kayser from the Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

Source: Five genes found to determine face shape | TG Daily

BBC News - Genes for face shape identified

MRI images were used to quantify the metrics of face shape ahead of the genetic study

Lead author Manfred Kayser from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, said: "These are exciting first results that mark the beginning of the genetic understanding of human facial morphology.
"Perhaps some time it will be possible to draw a phantom portrait of a person solely from his or her DNA left behind, which provides interesting applications such as in forensics."

Source: BBC News - Genes for face shape identified

Facial Shapes Outlined With Five Genes - Science News - redOrbit

In the study, published in the Public Library of Science’s journal PLoS Genetics, Kayser and colleagues studied nearly 10,000 individuals, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their heads together with portrait photographs to map facial features, from which facial distances were estimated. They then conducted a genome-wide association (GWA) study designed to search for small genetic variances that occur more frequently in people with particular facial types.

Using these methods, the team was able to discern five separate genes associated with facial shapes: PRDM16, PAX3, TP63, C5orf50, and COL17A1.

Source: Facial Shapes Outlined With Five Genes - Science News - redOrbit

PLOS Genetics: A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Five Loci Influencing Facial Morphology in Europeans

Figure 1. Nine facial landmarks extracted via image registration tools from 3D MRIs.

Figure 2. Facial landmarks from 3D MRI in all 5,388 individuals from the discovery cohorts RS1, RS2, QTIMS, SHIP, and SHIP-TREND.

Figure 5. Facial landmarks from 2D portrait photos.

Source: PLOS Genetics: A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Five Loci Influencing Facial Morphology in Europeans

Related

2009-09-08

Forensic Molecular Photofitting

clipped from www.redorbit.com

DNA Aids Forensic Experts

US scientists report that the smallest amount of DNA found at a crime scene could help reveal the face of the criminal.

The new process called ‘forensic molecular photofitting' goes far beyond doing an identity-proving genetic fingerprint.

clipped from www.irishtimes.com

DNA sample may be enough to build an image of your face

FORENSIC SCIENCE is about to take a startling new turn – reconstructing facial features and skin tone simply by reading your DNA. This goes far beyond doing an identity-proving genetic fingerprint, it means the person’s actual face will emerge after analysing a collection of genes, according to a scientist from Pennsylvania State University.

clipped from www.dailymail.co.uk

The process has already been used to help identify and convict serial killer Derek Todd Lee who murdered seven women in Louisiana.

Witness statements said the offender was white but genetic testing of DNA at the crime scenes showed he was African American - which helped lead to his arrest.

He was convicted in 2004.

clipped from online.wsj.com

Mark Shriver, an anthropologist and geneticist at Pennsylvania State University, has also set himself a daunting challenge: Trying to construct a "picture" of a person's face by analyzing DNA. He calls the technique "forensic molecular photo fitting," and it is supported by a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.

His team collected DNA samples and photographs from 243 people, including many from the Penn State campus, and used computer techniques to correlate the genes with his subjects' facial features. They have found six genes that seem to influence such traits. One gene is associated with the height of the face; another is associated with its width. Yet another gene affects the shape of the lips and the nose. By piecing together these elements, Prof. Shriver hopes to create a modern-day version of the police artist sketch.