Molecular insight into a wildlife crime: the case of a peafowl slaughter

We report a recent case in which a wildlife warden had suspected that some people had killed and cooked a peacock. Cooked meat, intestine of bird and the wooden block used for chopping were seized from the site of crime and forwarded to our laboratory for DNA testing. Mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence analysis revealed that the cooked meat and remnants of the bird were of a chicken, but the DNA obtained from the wooden block was of an Indian Peafowl (Peacock) testifying that the wooden chopping block was used to chop the meat of an endangered bird, thus bringing to light a wildlife crime.     

Genetic profile of nine autosomal STR loci among Halakki and Kunabhi populations of Karnataka, India

POPULATION: Blood samples were collected from a total of 84 healthy and unrelated Halakki (44) and Kunabhi (40) populations, with their informed written consent. The geographic location of the sampled area is shown in Fig. 1. Both the populations are endogamous, and they belong to Dravidian linguistic family. Halakki is a tribal group having a population size of approximately 3383. They claim that they originally belong to Gujarat and Rajasthan, and migrated through Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka. Kunabhi is also a tribal population, who are approximately 35,214 in number. The male Kunabhi can be identified by their tattoo marks. A necklace is the symbol of married women. They were hunters and gatherers, but at present they practice agriculture.     

Population data for four population groups from the United States for the eleven Y-chromosome STR loci recommended by SWGDAM

POPULATIONS: Caucasian ( n =1243), African American ( n =1605), Hispanic ( n =454), and Native American ( n =104).     

DNA profiling of azoospermic semen samples from vasectomized males by using Y-PLEX 6 amplification kit

Post-vasectomized azoospermic semen samples (N = 6) were analyzed for short tandem repeats (STR) on the Y-chromosome by using Y-PLEX 6 and the 310 Genetic Analyzer. We have observed a wide variation in the yield of extracted DNA from 12.5-1,000 ng. This variation was attributed to the number of epithelial and/or white blood cells that are present in these azoospermic samples. DNA profiles of these vasectomized males were obtained for all six Y-STR loci, namely DYS393, DYS 19, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, and DYS385 amplified by using the Y-PLEX 6.     

Identification of wires and the cutting tool by scanning electron microscope

The cut ends of aluminium and copper wires made by different pliers have been compared under the scanning electron microscope to correlate the two pieces of a wire and to identify the cutting tool. The mechanism of producing the cut ends has been discussed. Matching of extrusion marks and correspondence of breakages at the edges of the cut ends were observed. Correspondence between the fine striations was observed on the opposite faces. These features are put forward for assigning a cut wire to a source.The ends produced by repeatedly cutting a wire by the same portion of the edge of a pair of pliers have been compared. It was found that the striations and fracture zones were reproduced on the respective surfaces of the consecutive cut ends. To identify the cutting tool in wire theft cases, it is suggested that the trial cut ends can be made by cutting the wire with successive portions of the edge of the suspected tool and compare the surface features with that on the questioned ones.     

Social media governance: can social media companies motivate voluntary rule following behavior among their users?

Journal of Experimental Criminology - The purpose of these studies is to examine whether the procedural justice of a social media platform enforcement system for content moderation shapes...