Subject: Re: (*SPOILERS* to 1st new episode)
From: maus@honest_crocus.morgan.com (Malcolm Austin)
Date: 1990-09-18, 16:39
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks

In article <1596@prang.UUCP> marciano@prang.TEST.Vitalink.COM.UUCP (marciano pitargue) writes:
> >In article <6788@tekcrl.LABS.TEK.COM> ellis@tekcrl.LABS.TEK.COM (Cynthia Ellis) writes:
>> >>One thing that has always puzzled me is that I haven't heard of of the
>> >>specifics about typing the semen in Laura's body. Some sort of typing MUST
>> >>have been done for it to be known that Laura had sex with three different 
>> >>men the night she died. As I remember, the typing used relates to (Is the 
>> >>same as?) blood-typing. I believe it's used with rape victims to identify
>> >>rapists by blood type. Any comments on this from sharper TP watchers than I?
> >.
>> >>Cindy
> >
> >they (they being the "they" that everyone uses") can now do dna tracing
> >of the sperm.  now rapists can be positively identified this way.
> >
> >analogout to fingerprints,   dna-prints???
> >
> >saw it on nova or something once.
> >
> >marciano@vitalink.com

I'm almost certainly too ignorant on this topic to be posting to "thousands of 
machines throughout the entire civilized world", but my impression is that DNA
typing would not be useful here.  It is expensive and time-consuming (more a
thing for Albert than "amateur hour") and is used to match one DNA sample to
another.  I.e. it answers the question: are these two samples from the same
person?, with a statistically definable (and hopefully small) chance of error.
I don't think it would be useful to answer the question "How many people are,
err, represented in this sample?"  Does anyone know what they could use?

My info is from hazy memory of a Nova or Nova-type show which talked about
using DNA typing to predict some illness (which Bob Dylan has/might have?).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Can I ask her about her log?""Many have."
--
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Malcolm Austin -- maus@fir.morgan.com 
Disclaimer (v.), to unarm an opponent wielding a Scottish broadsword
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