Exploring the Limits of DNA Profiling

This actually sounds a lot like an episode of Law & Order. Two men suspected in a jewelry theft have been freed because the DNA could not be linked conclusively to one or the other.

The problem? The men are identical twins. This doesn't even touch on the growing problem of faulty test results and understaffed crime labs around the country, but it's fascinating in its own way.

Read more about it here:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509856,00.html

Under the heading "Protect Your Witness"

This is probably good advice for any DA who wants to secure the assistance of a witness against a murder suspect.

Don't put your witness in the same cell as the guy he testifies against. Maybe it's just me, but that seems like a no brainer.

Check this link out to see exactly what I mean.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509231,00.html

Cell Phones - A New and Present Danger

As Facebook and Myspace begin to clamp down of criminals who target their victims through the computer, a new threat is emerging. Predators are getting to their victims via cell phones. This ominous bit of news, from the Howard Scripp News Service, should frighten parents who think nothing of giving a twelve year-old a cell phone but wouldn't dream of letting them on a computer unattended.

Check out the following link to read more:

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/40901

Get out of Jail...by reading?

A creative way to reduce taxpayer expense on new prisons may have been found. Judges are starting to sentence minor offendors to read a book, in order to avoid jail time. A bit unusual, but I have to say that I like the idea, as long as we don't offer this to persons who have been convicted of violent offenses. And a preliminary study shows that participants repeated their crimes only half as often as non-participants (granted, it was a small study).

It's worth a try, considering we have almost three million Americans in prison. What do you think? You can read the article at the NYT link below, then decide for yourself.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/books/review/Price-t.html?ref=books

Edgar Allen Poe 200 Year Celebration

The New York Times has created a slideshow to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of his birth, and it's well worth looking over. Most of the images come from the Berg Collection of the New York Public Library. Who knew that New York had such an amazing collection? Perhaps they deserve a piece of Poe.

Check it out here:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/01/16/books/eapoe-SLIDE-SHOW-01-17-2009_index.html

Need gift book ideas? Ask an author.

Penguin Publishing has hit on a novel idea (no pun intended) to help people fill out their holiday shopping lists. They've posted a page on their website showing what books their authors are giving (and hoping to get). The recommendations are excellent and they include a nice mix of classics (Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, George Orwell's 1984) and recent releases (Stephen King's Just After Sunset ).

You can see the entire list here:

http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/features/whattogiveget.html

Pleistocene Park? For 10 Million Dollars, Maybe

It's a shame that Michael Crichton passed away recently, because I think he would have found this latest discovery of great interest. Scientists are very close to decoding the entire genome of the Wolly Mammoth, using hair fibers. What's more, they believe it may soon be possible to recreate the extinct species, and that someday mammoths could roam the earth again.

Although Jurrasic Park may still be a long, long way off, we could in our liftime see prehistoric creatures like the mammoth, dire wolf & sabre tooth tiger roaming a Pliestocene game reserve.

Almost makes me wish I was a kid again. You can read more about it here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/science/20mammoth.html

and here:

http://www.livescience.com/animals/081119-ap-mammoth-dna.html