DNA is not infallible…

…Science never is. On the plus side, science can improve on its errors. From the New York Times:

“If we say there is a 1-in-10-quadrillion chance that someone else might have the same DNA profile, but there is also a 1-in-10,000 chance that there was a mistake in generating the profile, the only number the jurors should be paying attention to is the error rating.”

Interestingly, but not surprisingly when you think about it, these errors are far likely to let guilty people off than result in innocent convictions.

1 thought on “DNA is not infallible…

  1. I'm suspicious these days of anything smacking of numbers and processing metrics. There is a reason for that. I've posted on your blog before; I got shut down by Google/Blogger for some stuff about Lean Production. I had to start a new blog. These things happen. I'm glad you had a good time on your journeys.

    It's embarrassing, but I remember coming back here from an… experience… and seeing an American flag and crying. The sense of relief and belonging just took me out. I'm not blind to the flaws, but… I'm human, too.

    And yes, people in the US complain altogether too much. This place is richer than shit. It's ridiculous.

Comments are closed.