From identifying Osama bin Laden to proving someone guilty of
rape or murder, DNA analysis has become an essential scientific
tool for police and criminal justice. Unique genetic markers
could play a crucial role in the trial of ex-IMF chief Dominique
Strauss-Kahn, accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid in New
York. Various media reports, citing sources close to the
investigation, have said that DNA from Strauss-Kahn -- believed
to be traces of semen -- was found on the shirt of the 32-year-
old woman, who has alleged that the French political heavyweight
tried to rape her in his hotel suite on May 14. "The DNA
technique, the nuclear DNA, is the one and only technique, if
properly conducted, that has an extraordinarily high odds
against a misidentification," said University of Arizona
professor of chemistry and geoscience Bonner Denton. "It's very
close to 100 percent... It's a much better technique than many
other forensic identification techniques, even finger prints."
Thanks to DNA analysis and other t