The University of Leicester in London announced that forensic scientists are getting set to publish Britain’s first cat DNA database so that it can be used to solve crimes. The database was initially created to help solve one murder case. There where 152 samples of DNA used for that case.
Cat hairs led to an eventual conviction when they were found on a victim’s body. The killer, David Hilder, was sentenced to life in prison for manslaughter of David Guy. “This is the first time cat DNA has been used in a criminal trial in the UK. We now hope to publish the database so it can be used in future crime investigations,” project leader Jon Wetton said.
Wetton also created a similar database for dogs. He offered to build one for cats to the Hampshire Police. There are now plans to use the database to gain further insights into how cat DNA can be used as evidence.
“Within each cat hair are two types of DNA, individual-specific ‘nuclear DNA’ detectable in the roots of some larger hairs, and ‘mitochondrial DNA’ which is shared by all maternally-related individuals and can be found even in the finest hair shafts,” Wetton said.
