Henry Erlich’s Previous Work

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  • This book discusses the recently developed capacity to use DNA sequence information to make inferences about historical events. Part One focuses on how DNA analysis can reconstruct the recent past, in particular, the events that transpired at the scene of a crime.  Part Two is a discussion of how the same DNA technology and genetic data can be used to reconstruct the ancient past, using DNA sequences from human samples as well as from fossil remains to study the evolution of the human species and the historical relationships among contemporary and extinct human populations. The author discusses how he and his colleagues at Cetus Corp in the mid 1980s developed the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) technology of specific DNA amplification, a method of synthesizing millions of copies of a specific targeted DNA sequence, and applied it to address forensic and evolutionary questions. His lab applied these now widely used techniques in the first DNA criminal case, the first exoneration case, and the first identification of a missing person. The same DNA technology that allows the analysis of a hair or tiny blood spot at a crime scene also enables sequencing the DNA of a bone fragment from a Neanderthal skeleton. Both forensic and evolutionary investigations compare the frequency of specific genetic variants in different populations and share a common goal: solving historical mysteries. The author discusses ongoing controversies in both fields as well as the intrinsic human curiosity about our origins and the desire to solve crimes and seek justice.

  • Since its introduction in the late 1980s, DNA analysis has revolutionized the forensic sciences: it has helped to convict the guilty, exonerate the wrongfully convicted, identify victims of mass atrocities, and reunite families whose members have been separated by war and repressive regimes. Yet, many of the scientific, legal, societal, and ethical concepts that underpin forensic DNA analysis remain poorly understood, and their application often controversial.

    Told by over twenty experts in genetics, law, and social science, Silent Witness relates the history and development of modern DNA forensics and its application in both the courtroom and humanitarian settings. Across three thematic sections, Silent Witness tracks the scientific advances in DNA analysis and how these developments have affected criminal and social justice, whether through the arrests of new suspects, as in the case of the Golden State Killer, or through the ability to identify victims of war, terrorism, and human rights abuses, as in the cases of the disappeared in Argentina and the former Yugoslavia and those who perished during the 9/11 attacks.

    By providing a critical inquiry into modern forensic DNA science, Silent Witness underscores the need to balance the benefits of using forensic genetics to solve crime with the democratic right to safeguard against privacy invasion and unwarranted government scrutiny, and raises the question of what it means to be an autonomous individual in a world where the most personal elements of one's identity are now publicly accessible.

  • This is an introduction to the methods and applications of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, a technology developed by Erlich's group at Cetus and Cetus, and is expected to be used in all biology laboratories worldwide within the next few years.

DNA technology is the gold standard of criminal forensic sciences. All other sciences pale in comparison. Henry Erlich’s new book Genetic Reconstruction of the Past explores in-depth the power of DNA to teach us about the past, whether it is to learn about Neanderthal skeletons or the identity of perpetrators of crimes.”

 —Justin Brooks, Author of You Might Go to Prison, Even Though You’re Innocent

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