Ask The Experts; November 2008; Scientific American Magazine; by Max and Lucy Houck, Mark A. W. Andrews; 1 Page(s)

Husband-and-wife forensic experts Max and Lucy Houck get to the bottom of this mystery:

The touch DNA method is so named because it analyzes skin cells left behind when assailants handle weapons, victims or something else at a crime scene. The technique of analyzing these minute samples for genetic information is relatively new, having appeared only about five years ago.