The DNA of humans remains in the fur of cats, and it could be used as forensic evidence
(Flickr / Matt https://bit.ly/3T8D1RL)
A team of scientists from Australia’s La Trobe University has found the DNA of people on the fur and skin of their domestic cats.
According to Maria Goray, the lead of the study, this could help forensic scientists find criminals.
Molecular genetic methods are used not only in medicine, for example, DNA fingerprinting has taken root in forensic science.
Even the most dexterous villain leaves evidence at the crime scene: his biological material containing DNA.
Since the nucleotide sequence is unique for each person (except identical twins), specialists can determine who was or was not at a crime scene.
Forensics are collecting evidence from doorknobs, furniture, and now even pets are likely to come into view.
CATS
Now Goray’s team along with a forensic scientist examined the surface of the cats' bodies—fur and, in the case of Sphynx cats, skin.
They took 20 pets from 15 families, and in most cases it was possible to isolate enough DNA suitable for further work.
The discovered molecules were compared with the DNA of people living with the animals.
Scientists did not notice significant differences in the DNA content in animals with different hair lengths.
The amount of DNA detected also did not depend on the time elapsed since the last contact between a cat and a human.
It turned out that the last person who contacted the cat, as a rule, left its mark on the cat, but sometimes scientists found an admixture of DNA from other family members.
In rare cases, DNA of strangers was found on cats, although, according to the owners, there were no strangers in the house for more than two days.
Perhaps the DNA gets on the cat not only through direct contact.
In the future, the authors plan to study exactly how the DNA gets into animals, as well as for how long and in what quantities it can be stored in animals with different behaviors.
Sources:
- Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series: https://www.fsigeneticssup.com/article/S1875-1768(22)00056-7/fulltext
- Futurism: https://futurism.com/the-byte/cats-tampering-crime-scenes
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