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Harrison Bergeron

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Posts posted by Harrison Bergeron

  1. 4 hours ago, bschoolprof said:

    The quality of the DNA evidence in this case and the extent to which there was ever a "match" to anyone  has been greatly exaggerated in the media. As explained in the latest 48 hours episode, they had 16 (now 25) markers of Y-STR DNA, which is handed down via the paternal line.  This is very low. Forensic genealogists usually work with over a 100 markers. This evidence is great for exclusion; if you don't match to these 16 (or 25), it's not your DNA nor is it anyone else's in the paternal line.  That's why the original guys that were convicted have been excluded.  But if you match with these 16, that doesn't mean much - millions of people in the US will have these same markers. In fact, when APD recently extracted the additional 9 markers through advancements in technology, it was found that 5 of the 9 didn't match the supposed "hit" in the US STR database submitted by the FBI (you can read an excerpt from the FBI letter below).  Thus, this "match" has now been excluded, in the same way as the originally wrongfully-convicted guys were.  Bottom line: I'm not sure there's enough DNA (at least right now) to be much use in this case in terms of finding the needle in haystack.  

    image.png.cc1f0ab5ec5b8dddf251f6dd4d4ca302.png

    I thought they did a decent job of explaining the DNA issue at least as matching goes. I think of it is a a funnel, where they had 16 Y-STR markers, which indicated 30M people (I'm making up the #s), then with 25 the funnel narrowed to 10M people, and the person mentioned was excluded. You ultimately narrow the funnel with additional markers, which leads to one person.

    What I do not understand is the difference among samples - not a biologist but I thought on the DNA / cellular level saliva, semen, blood, skin cells, etc., carried full DNA profiles. Said more simply, in my ignorant mind if you had DNA you "had it all," i.e. a complete profile. I get technology has improved to be able to get better results from smaller samples, but the analysis being done with touch DNA is mind-blowing. Hoping for a surly biologist to explain it to me. 

    There was a cold case recently cracked in Fort Worth, where they were able to use a tiny amount of DNA on the victim's bra and dress to find a match.

    It is crazy that in 30 years no one has ever confessed to someone while drunk, stoned, etc., or could just keep it in without telling someone.

  2. 19 minutes ago, Nivek said:

    This thread is basically like the left-wing violence we keep hearing about from the right wing trolls, and the put up provocateur's andy ngo chemical milkshake incident as proof while ignoring the 1000s of incidents by right wing assholes they support.  Including trying to murder political enemies, trying to overthrow the government, actually stealing elections (Stacey Abrams won Georgia), and threatening to lock up political rivals.   

     

    I need an NFT of this response.

  3. 1 minute ago, Lobo said:

    Did somebody say Old Glory robot scooter insurance?  

    Yeah, the Fat Shaming movement gets pretty loud and annoying a couple times a year.....but I've never thought of it as overly political.  Kinda like home-schooling parents...it tends to attract both ends of the extreme left and right.  But they don't really advocate for actual policy...just that the media show more obese people modeling underwear and going snowboarding. 

    csb/ One of my half-sisters who I don't talk to very much has a son...my nephew.  She started herself and him on the "We are healthy at whatever size" bullshit a few years ago and I had to bite my tongue.  I barely speak to her and couldn't open with, "You're fucking with his health and life by telling him that bullshit."  I tried to take him under my wing a few times since he's 14, 5'10" and comfortably over 200 pounds, maybe pushing 250.  That's not good for a kid that age.  So literally as my cousins and I are finally thinking of butting in...voila...she completely drops the idiocy that everything is fine with her and her son's weight...and adopts MAGA as her new cause.  Since then, the kid is still big but at least is hitting the weights and switched from basketball to football where he can be big but in shape.  So thanks Trump, I guess?  

    But it has real-world implications. Gone are the days when I could look forward to flipping through the Victoria's Secret catalog.

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