On AlterNet: dna

Stories, blog posts, and videos tagged as "dna"

Are Police Building a Massive DNA Database?

Scott Lemieux, AlterNet. March 23, 2012.

A new law permits police to get genetic samples from almost anyone convicted of any crime in New York state.

DNA Database of Men Who Pay for Sex? The Strange Push to Make Cops Collect DNA from Suspected Johns

Melissa Gira Grant, AlterNet. January 27, 2012.

Law enforcement and conservative campaigners want to threaten men who buy sex with the possibility of being marked for life in a government database.

Wrongfully Convicted Exoneree Gets $1.45 Million Award After Student Journalists Reinvestigate His Case

Chester Soria, AlterNet. July 13, 2011.

One Texan exoneree was awarded money for a wrongful conviction, but what's next for the state with highest wrongful death penalty convictions?

Why Is It So Hard to Bring Rapists to Justice?

Michael Winship, AlterNet. June 19, 2011.

A new documentary about a real life Special Victims Unit shows how tough it is to make rapists pay for their crime.

California Storing DNA of Innocent People

Michael Risher, AlterNet. July 30, 2010.

California’s law mandating that DNA samples be taken from all felony arrestees is facing a legal challenge from the ACLU of Northern California.

Texas Lawmakers Urge Gov. Perry to Stop Execution of Hank Skinner

Brandi Grissom, The Texas Tribune. March 24, 2010.

State Sen. Rodney Ellis, and Rep. Elliott Naishtat have sent Gov. Rick Perry letters urging him to grant a 30-day reprieve for Skinner to test DNA evidence in his case.

"They Have No Right to Kill Me": Is Texas Gearing Up to Execute An Innocent Man?

Brandi Grissom, The Texas Tribune. March 10, 2010.

Death row prisoner Hank Skinner swears DNA evidence will exonerate him, but prosecutors say the case is closed. He has two weeks to change their minds.

DNA Evidence Is No Panacea for Solving Crimes: Huge Backlogs, Inept Testing and Corruption Stand in the Way

Liliana Segura, AlterNet. July 16, 2009.

Laws expanding DNA collection from people accused of crimes are passing in states across the country. But it doesn't mean that justice will be done.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor Denied My Appeal and I Spent 16 Years in Prison For a Crime I Didn't Commit

Jeffrey Deskovic, AlterNet. July 10, 2009.

Sotomayor put procedure over innocence as a federal judge.

U.S. Supreme Court to Decide Whether Prisoners Have a Right to Post-Conviction DNA Tests

The Innocence BlogJanuary 28, 2009.

'Our Constitution gives every citizen the right to prove that he's innocent,' says Innocence Project Co-Director Peter Neufeld.

Will Candidates' DNA Play a Role in Future Elections?

Pete Shanks, AlterNet. January 20, 2009.

Candidate genome scans may be on the horizon.

I Spent 16 Years in Jail for a Crime I Didn't Commit. Here's What Should Be Done.

Jeffrey Deskovic, AlterNet. September 16, 2008.

I went to jail as a teenager for a rape and murder I didn't commit. Here are the reforms necessary to make sure it does not happen again.

DNA Proves Texas Man Innocent Nine Years After he Died in Prison

The Innocence Project, The Innocence Blog. July 1, 2008.

Timothy Cole was serving 25 years for a rape he didn't commit.

Exonerations Continue Across the Country -- But Are Innocent Prisoners Ever Truly Free?

Liliana Segura, AlterNet. May 22, 2008.

On May 21, after nearly 26 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, Michigan prisoner Walter Swift was finally released. But is he really free?

Innocent Man Released from Prison After 26 Years, Two Lawyers Kept His Innocence Secret

The Innocence Project, The Innocence Blog. April 22, 2008.

Attorneys waited for their client's death before admitting he was the real killer in the murder that sent Alton Logan to prison for half his life.

How Many Innocent People Are Really Behind Bars?

The Innocence Project, The Innocence Blog. March 27, 2008.

The honest answer: Nobody knows.

DNA Breakthrough Could Give Humans Lifespans Lasting Hundreds of Years

Steve Connor, Independent UK. February 1, 2008.

The science world is divided on a discovery that could soon have humans living for multiple lifespans -- if we want to.

How Do You Atone for 27 Years of Injust Inprisonment?

Corinne Ramey, Drum Major Institute. January 7, 2008.

Charles Chatman is the 15th wrongfully convicted prisoner in Dallas County who has been exonerated by DNA evidence since 2001.

Are Home Genome Tests a Step Away from Eugenics?

Annalee Newitz, AlterNet. November 29, 2007.

New companies claim to reveal the secrets of your DNA, but will the information cause more harm than good?

Consumer Biotech

Annalee Newitz, AlterNet. November 1, 2007.

Consumer biotech can measure and alter biological states for the mass market -- which goes much further than the consumer electronics craze over iPhones and Wiis.

When Science Attacks!

Annalee Newitz, AlterNet. October 23, 2007.

Two scandals in the sci-tech world serve as reminders that science can be done in bad faith.

We're One Step Closer to Creating Genetically Enhanced Humans

Marcy Darnovsky, AlterNet. October 19, 2007.

A new Nobel laureate's work shows that the prospect of genetically engineering children is controversial but no longer just a fantasy.

Dr. James D. Watson: DNA Pioneer, Nobel Prize Winner and Racist

Pam Spaulding, October 19, 2007.

Pam Spaulding: Just because you're the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA doesn't make you an expert on race and intelligence.

Is DNA Research Giving New Life to the Idea That Race Exists?

Ziba Kashef, Colorlines.com. October 18, 2007.

The study of human genes has resurged a debate about the nature of race, with dangerous consequences for criminal justice.

Preventing Extinction: The Miracle of the Frozen Zoo

Alisa Opar, Plenty Magazine. October 13, 2007.

With the California Condor already saved, genetic samples from endangered species at the Frozen Zoo will prevent extinctions all over the planet.