Some of the DNA facial reconstructions put together by researchers seem quite accurate; others not so much (see article).
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| One of the better ones? Ms. Spangler’s ancestry is half Korean and half northern European. Top right image is from the DNA; bottom right, was adjusted for age, weight and height. |
The police use of this technology seems at present to be grasping at straws. The picture of a suspect below was characterised by one critic as showing simply a 'generic young black man'. Since the perpetrator has not yet been caught, however, we have no idea as to its accuracy.
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| Sketch of a possible suspect based on DNA left at the crime scene |
However, like most technologies that we know in principle will work, this is going to be big.
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| Predictions using a DNA analysis tool compared with photos of the actual people |
Just to recap, here's the current state of the art (above). They seem not too bad to me, although they probably chose their best ones for this publicity shot.
