Jack the Ripper Identified

[Hilander]

Forensic Science Has Finally Identified 'Jack the Ripper'

Never thought this would ever happen but thanks to DNA it did. Turns out its a Polish barber by the name of Aaron Kosminski. Too bad he can't still be punished.

I'm wondering if DNA this old can be trusted.

Thoughts?

 

[The_Chameleon]

Sounds hokey to me. Where did they get the test sample from? What did they have of Kisminski's from back then to compare the sample(s) to? And you're right, the integrity of DNA that old is questionable.

 

[Doc]

Here's the link to the scientific study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1556-4029.14038.

I checked and Wiley is the distributor of the very legit Journal of Forensic Sciences. They're saying that they were able to isolate individual cells from both the suspected killer, Aaron Kosminski, and a victim. The scarf was apparently the only known surviving item from the time.

It should be noted that this is almost certainly only possible due to home DNA tests and consenting to allowing companies like 23 and Me and Ancestry trace your genetic heritage for you. They have to have the single largest database of DNA and lineages in the history of mankind. That database is used by the police to track crimes so it can be used for this without violating the privacy notice.

Also, to counter the "DNA that old can't be reliable" argument.. unprotected DNA takes 500+ years to start degrading and, because of DNA's halflife, will take about a million to six million years to be undetectable. It is unusable around a million years old. We know this because we've sequenced DNA that old already and from multiple populations. It's also why a mosquito fossilized in amber cannot possibly have dinosaur DNA.

 

[The_Chameleon]

I am skeptical of those numbers, but too lazy to verify them so I'll take your word for it for now.

 

[Hilander]

Here's the link to the scientific study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1556-4029.14038.

I checked and Wiley is the distributor of the very legit Journal of Forensic Sciences. They're saying that they were able to isolate individual cells from both the suspected killer, Aaron Kosminski, and a victim. The scarf was apparently the only known surviving item from the time.

It should be noted that this is almost certainly only possible due to home DNA tests and consenting to allowing companies like 23 and Me and Ancestry trace your genetic heritage for you. They have to have the single largest database of DNA and lineages in the history of mankind. That database is used by the police to track crimes so it can be used for this without violating the privacy notice.

Also, to counter the "DNA that old can't be reliable" argument.. unprotected DNA takes 500+ years to start degrading and, because of DNA's halflife, will take about a million to six million years to be undetectable. It is unusable around a million years old. We know this because we've sequenced DNA that old already and from multiple populations. It's also why a mosquito fossilized in amber cannot possibly have dinosaur DNA.

Thanks, had no idea it took DNA that long to start degrading.

 

[Impaired]

Since they can't verify the scarf was really at a crime scene this is just a guessing game.

 

[Blur]

"for we wrestle not against flesh and blood But against spirits, principalities, rulers of darkness and wickedness in high places" etc etc Basically f the evil actors and lets get on with exposing the ideals they followed to their crime commissions