-Sean Chercover
NOTE: To those of you attending (and you should) Murder & Mayhem In Muskego this coming weekend ... rest assured, I'm headed to the doc in the morning, so if I'm there, I'm not contagious.
Okay, so I'm sick. Had this stupid cold for a few days, no big deal, but now I've got a fever...
...and a monster headache...
...and other symptoms too unpleasant to report here, so it seems to have turned from a stupid cold into a stupid flu.
Anyway. My brain is addled, and I can't think of a damn thing to blog about.
Tomorrow morning, after the doctor tells me I just have the regular flu and not the piggy flu (knock on wood), I plan to curl up in bed and drink Neo Citran and watch movies all day.
Got any recommendations for me?
Showing posts with label Murder and Mayhem in Muskego. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Murder and Mayhem in Muskego. Show all posts
Monday, November 09, 2009
Saturday, November 22, 2008
A great road trip and more on DNA
by Michael Dymmoch
I was invited to come to Minnesota recently, to do an interview with The Minnesota Crime Wave. Carl Brookins, William Kent Krueger and Ellen Hart are exemplars of what makes the mystery community a community—gracious, generous and intelligent. Damn fine writers, too. Minneapolis/St Paul is a seven hour drive, so Carl offered to put me up after the interview. Next day, he gave me a tour of the Twin Cities, a terrific lunch, and a ride to the Mystery Writers of America meeting at Once Upon a Crime.
MWA’s guest speaker was Ann Marie Gross, Technical Leader of St Paul MN’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). The FBI recently honored her for her work with DNA.
Ms. Gross told us that crime scene evidence is brought to the BCA by submitting agencies or sent in via US mail or FedEx. In the biology section, a visual inspection is performed for trace (hairs, fibers, etc.) as well as stains. A serological exam reveals whether blood, semen, saliva or other body fluids are present on clothing or other items; presumptive semen stains are examined microscopically for the presence of sperm. Blood and semen are commonly known to yield DNA, but DNA can also be recovered from licked envelope flaps, and the sweat found on hat bands, shirt collars and garment underarms. Individuals may also leave enough skin cells on a gun grip or trigger to prove they’ve handled the weapon—something convicted felons often learn to their dismay.
The root of a hair is the only part containing nuclear DNA—the type required for positive identification of an individual (or his identical siblings). A hair shaft can, however, yield mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) which, as Barbara D’Amato recently pointed out, is inherited from the maternal line and shared with non-identical sibs. MtDNA is most often used to identify unknown human remains, since there are usually more standards—DNA from relatives—for comparison. (The Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday that the remains of Nicolaus Copernicus, the first astronomer to recognize that the earth orbits the sun, were recently identified by comparing DNA from his skeleton with a hair found in one of his books.) All 50 states have laws requiring convicted offenders to provide DNA samples, and the national DNA database, CODIS (Combined DNA Identification System) has 5 million on file.
After the DNA is isolated and amplified at the BCA, it’s analyzed by a machine (ABI 310) that runs 24 hours a day, five days a week. The process, which once took seven weeks and required a dime-sized blood sample, can now be done with a sample the size of a pen tip and completed in 30 minutes. Evidence turnaround time at the lab is two months—from receipt to report. Public safety cases (e.g. serial rapists) are moved to the head of the queue with scientists working late and on weekends.
BTW: Murder & Mayhem in Muskego was even better than Alison Janssen predicted in her November 7 guest blog. Thanks to Muskego librarian Penny Halle and Jon and Ruth Jordan for a terrific conference.
I was invited to come to Minnesota recently, to do an interview with The Minnesota Crime Wave. Carl Brookins, William Kent Krueger and Ellen Hart are exemplars of what makes the mystery community a community—gracious, generous and intelligent. Damn fine writers, too. Minneapolis/St Paul is a seven hour drive, so Carl offered to put me up after the interview. Next day, he gave me a tour of the Twin Cities, a terrific lunch, and a ride to the Mystery Writers of America meeting at Once Upon a Crime.
MWA’s guest speaker was Ann Marie Gross, Technical Leader of St Paul MN’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). The FBI recently honored her for her work with DNA.
Ms. Gross told us that crime scene evidence is brought to the BCA by submitting agencies or sent in via US mail or FedEx. In the biology section, a visual inspection is performed for trace (hairs, fibers, etc.) as well as stains. A serological exam reveals whether blood, semen, saliva or other body fluids are present on clothing or other items; presumptive semen stains are examined microscopically for the presence of sperm. Blood and semen are commonly known to yield DNA, but DNA can also be recovered from licked envelope flaps, and the sweat found on hat bands, shirt collars and garment underarms. Individuals may also leave enough skin cells on a gun grip or trigger to prove they’ve handled the weapon—something convicted felons often learn to their dismay.
The root of a hair is the only part containing nuclear DNA—the type required for positive identification of an individual (or his identical siblings). A hair shaft can, however, yield mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) which, as Barbara D’Amato recently pointed out, is inherited from the maternal line and shared with non-identical sibs. MtDNA is most often used to identify unknown human remains, since there are usually more standards—DNA from relatives—for comparison. (The Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday that the remains of Nicolaus Copernicus, the first astronomer to recognize that the earth orbits the sun, were recently identified by comparing DNA from his skeleton with a hair found in one of his books.) All 50 states have laws requiring convicted offenders to provide DNA samples, and the national DNA database, CODIS (Combined DNA Identification System) has 5 million on file.
After the DNA is isolated and amplified at the BCA, it’s analyzed by a machine (ABI 310) that runs 24 hours a day, five days a week. The process, which once took seven weeks and required a dime-sized blood sample, can now be done with a sample the size of a pen tip and completed in 30 minutes. Evidence turnaround time at the lab is two months—from receipt to report. Public safety cases (e.g. serial rapists) are moved to the head of the queue with scientists working late and on weekends.
BTW: Murder & Mayhem in Muskego was even better than Alison Janssen predicted in her November 7 guest blog. Thanks to Muskego librarian Penny Halle and Jon and Ruth Jordan for a terrific conference.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
In Praise of Wakesha County Librarians...
by Sean Chercover
Last night I spoke at the Wakesha County Federated Library System's trustee dinner. That's Waukesha, Wisconsin. I was invited to speak by the awesome Penny Halle, of the Muskego Public Library.
Muskego is the home of the upcoming Murder & Mayhem in Muskego convention (November 7-8). If you're not registered for M&MinM, you should be. It's a fantastic time; an intimate gathering of about 30 authors (check out the list) and about 300 readers, with panels and interviews and books and coffee and cookies. This year's keynote interview is Dennis Lehane, interviewed by Michael Koryta. And SJ Rozan and Reed Farrel Coleman will interview each other. That alone is worth the drive to Muskego. Of the Outfit, Libby and Michael and Marcus and I will all be there.
Okay? Okay. Get thee to Muskego on November 8th (and 7th for the cocktail reception).
Anyway, so I spoke at the Waukesha library thingy last night. I sat at dinner with Jon Jordan of Crimespree Magazine (if you're not a subscriber, you should be) and the aformentioned super-librarian Penny Halle and State Senator and longtime library supporter Ted Kanavas and other library big-wigs.
A great time was had last night, and this morning I awoke still full of the love of libraries.
But I was up all night talking with Jon and Ruth, and my brain doesn't work to blog. So I'm just stopping in to share that love of libraries.
Go to your local library. Support your local library. Join the American Library Association.
G'night....
Last night I spoke at the Wakesha County Federated Library System's trustee dinner. That's Waukesha, Wisconsin. I was invited to speak by the awesome Penny Halle, of the Muskego Public Library.
Muskego is the home of the upcoming Murder & Mayhem in Muskego convention (November 7-8). If you're not registered for M&MinM, you should be. It's a fantastic time; an intimate gathering of about 30 authors (check out the list) and about 300 readers, with panels and interviews and books and coffee and cookies. This year's keynote interview is Dennis Lehane, interviewed by Michael Koryta. And SJ Rozan and Reed Farrel Coleman will interview each other. That alone is worth the drive to Muskego. Of the Outfit, Libby and Michael and Marcus and I will all be there.
Okay? Okay. Get thee to Muskego on November 8th (and 7th for the cocktail reception).
Anyway, so I spoke at the Waukesha library thingy last night. I sat at dinner with Jon Jordan of Crimespree Magazine (if you're not a subscriber, you should be) and the aformentioned super-librarian Penny Halle and State Senator and longtime library supporter Ted Kanavas and other library big-wigs.
A great time was had last night, and this morning I awoke still full of the love of libraries.
But I was up all night talking with Jon and Ruth, and my brain doesn't work to blog. So I'm just stopping in to share that love of libraries.
Go to your local library. Support your local library. Join the American Library Association.
G'night....
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