Fight erupts over DNA fingerprinting. Maine case deals blow to DNA fingerprinting. During the cross examination of an employee of Lifecodes, the company hired to perform the DNA typing in the Maine case, the defense lawyer exposed a problem with the way the firm had tried to correct for a phenomenon known as bandshifting. In addition, an expert witness for the prosecution advised the prosecutor that the semen sample that was intended as a key piece of evidence was uninterpretable because there was too much background interference to measure the bands in the DNA precisely. The National Academy of Sciences has appointed a committee to establish guidelines for DNA fingerprinting.
Geneticists develop DNA fingerprinting.
New Scientist . Atlantic Monthly . It ends with a recommendation for combating boredom with the subject by creating ignorance preserves. Missing in action. Compared to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA is better preserved so it is chosen for comparison with those obtained from maternal relatives of the wartime casualties.