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Taking Measure Blog Posts

Forensic genetics

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John Butler in his lab in front of a computer monitor with graphics on it

DNA Mixture Interpretations: A Q&A With NIST’s John Butler

July 22, 2021
Whether from skin cells, saliva, semen or blood, DNA from a crime scene is often collected and tested in a lab to see if a suspect’s DNA is likely a contributor to that sample or not. But every DNA sample tells a different story, and some samples are easier to interpret than others. The simplest
a graphic with a large 5 surrounded by objects from the post including mysterious museum objects, a blackboard with equations on it, a cellphone, and three vials. Additional text above the 5 reads "2019 Taking Measure."

Top 5 NIST Blog Posts of 2019

November 25, 2019
Mark Esser
It’s December, and that means it’s time for us to reflect on the past year, and what a year it was! This year tens of thousands of people tuned into the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Taking Measure blog to get their metrological fix, and we couldn’t be more pleased. Thank you
woman loads small plastic vials containing human DNA into a large machine

Human DNA Standard: A Q&A With NIST’s Becky Steffen

July 15, 2019
Becky Steffen
How do you solve a crime using DNA? First, you have to find biological evidence — such as blood, other bodily fluids, or maybe just a few skin cells that might be related to the crime. Then you can try to generate a DNA profile from that evidence. That is a genetic fingerprint, and no two people
A colorful illustration of showing human-like figures with the letters A, G, T, and C.



National DNA Day and the Birth of Investigative Genetic Genealogy

April 24, 2019
John Butler
Happy National DNA Day! Each year on April 25 we celebrate the 1953 publication of James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin’s discovery of DNA’s double helix. The day also marks the completion of the first human genome sequence in 2003. In February 2018, I gave an invited
a stylized graphic of a ribbon of multicolored A's, C's, T's, and G's astride an electrophoresis readout

Forensic Science is in My DNA

September 14, 2018
Mark Stolorow
Working in law enforcement is as tough as it is rewarding. I got my start in 1968 as a beat cop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. My initial years on the force eventually led me to a 50-year career in forensic science. Back in my policing days, pretty much all we had was a uniform, a badge, a nightstick
Diagram with blue background and man standing behind rope line

Ideas Whose Time Has Come (and Gone), v. 2017

December 20, 2016
Robin Materese
A catchphrase from a popular reality show goes: “One day you're in. And the next day, you're out.” For the purposes of the show, the host is referencing fashion. But the same could be said about science. With each new discovery or advance, an old theory or idea often becomes obsolete … or at least
Magnifying glass magnifying a part of a DNA molecule

From Fiction to Forensics: An Inspired Story for National DNA Day

April 25, 2016
Becky Steffen
Nancy Drew and Kay Scarpetta—two names that will always put a smile on my face. I spent much of my youth reading about these two strong female characters. What do they have in common? They are fictional detectives that had an early influence on the career in DNA forensics that I have today at NIST