New DNA technology creates digital 'sketch' of terrorists' faces!

I was browsing FOX earlier, and came across this rather astounding revelation in DNA technology, funded by the U.S. Government's DTRA.

This software can take a DNA sample (hair, blood) and by reading the encoded DNA, can come up with a picture of what the owner looks like. It is said to be very accurate.

Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) funded this exciting innovation and Parabon NanoLabs created it. DTRA safeguards Americans by focusing on combating weapons of mass destruction around the clock.

DTRA's SnapShot

DTRA Agency

I had no idea that things were getting this advanced in DNA research. We are reading the genetic instructions and putting out virtual representations of them. Absolutely amazing.

This is most likely going to lead to some incredible security and intelligence work. It is getting closer to the day where no person can go unidentified, especially if the technology emerges that can capture some of their DNA material in real time as well. Certainly the sister to this project!

What do you think, ATS? Can you imagine the implications of being digitally identified and the resulting composite being used as evidence in a trial?

a reply to: charlyv

Pretty cool if it can be shown to have a high enough accuracy and also potentially good for future medical procedures, imagine reconstruction based on a person genetic template rather than the guess work of a doctor especially when we become able to print body part's using cultured stem cell's, a burned person receiving a new face not only better than there old one but as they were meant to look rather than what years of stress and hard living had made them look before.

It will probably be used in nefarious and corrupt ways to further strip our liberties and entrench a truly orwellian society. How often are they going to have terrorist dna and not know what they look like? Nope its for us. Though super cool tech.

a reply to: charlyv

Pointless technology, especially since CNN, NBC, Fox etc. show the actual terrorists faces to us everyday. Yeah, the ones who suck up your taxes while selling arms around the globe and tell you everything's ok

Wow this is huge! I'm shocked that all the comments here are moreso "yeah it's ok..."

This discovery will greatly improve our criminal justice system and hopefully reduce the amount of wrongful accusations, depending on its precision.

a reply to: charlyv

I don't know why they're hanging it on terrorists when it'd be more useful in catching rapists and child molesters. Both of whom cause more deaths and misery each year than terrorists.

Every country in the West has DNA evidence from cold cases. It'd be great to see them start there and see what they find. The Innocence Project would also have a party if they could definitively prove some of their clients innocent without the costly court process.

BTW the predicted face looks nothing like the actual face in the link. Proving eye colours and skin shades would be very helpful, but it looks more like a tool for eliminating suspects more than identifying them. It's still promising.

Ugh those faces are very different from another, forehead is different, eyebrows are different, nose is different, eye shape is different so is the ears. Only which remotely resembles is the chin. If this is best they can do .. how many innocent people will be arrested ?

How long before civilians get a hold of this technology and my girlfriend starts analyzing every hair she finds in my house?

a reply to: charlyv


They don't look alike. Hair, eye color, and that is about it.

There was research done in synthesizing natural and computer-generate faces. They used a technique called Eigenfaces and were able to break down shape into about 13 different parameters; shape of head straight on jaw, forehead, top of head, angle of jawline from side on, mouth-to-nose angle, nose-to-eyes-angle, forehead angle, nose shape and so on.

The forensic people came up with a similar set of features, and now the neurobiologist people have done the same with neural network recognition with animals.

Looks like the DNA biology people will do the same, and be able to predict eye-color and hair-color as well.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: charlyv

I don't know why they're hanging it on terrorists when it'd be more useful in catching rapists and child molesters. Both of whom cause more deaths and misery each year than terrorists.

Every country in the West has DNA evidence from cold cases. It'd be great to see them start there and see what they find. The Innocence Project would also have a party if they could definitively prove some of their clients innocent without the costly court process.

BTW the predicted face looks nothing like the actual face in the link. Proving eye colours and skin shades would be very helpful, but it looks more like a tool for eliminating suspects more than identifying them. It's still promising.

We are certainly on the same page. I was thinking that as being a primary target for this tech as well. If some idiot grabbed your wife or your kid, there would probably be a struggle in which the perp's hair, blood or skin can be recovered at the crime scene. At least there would be an image to publish for an APB and the news media.

originally posted by: kurthall
a reply to: charlyv


They don't look alike. Hair, eye color, and that is about it.

Not a great example, I will admit. But it is close. The site for DTRA say's there is great progress in the photo-realistic imagery. If the suspect has any close relatives in the DNA database, it should also increase the accuracy.

originally posted by: kurthall
a reply to: charlyv


They don't look alike. Hair, eye color, and that is about it.

Exactly, not so sure DNA markers can full proof pull up a full facial composite, unless there's a defect or more(cleft lip or other), or unless they go upon ethnic averages of features-see the average composites shown for each country.