 | | A New York City police officer holds his young daughter at a memorial service at St. Patrick's Cathedral for uniformed victims of the World Trade Center attack in New York, September 17, 2001. [Reuters] |
Investigators have asked the families of people missing in Tuesday's attack on the World Trade Center to bring in toothbrushes and hairbrushes that may contain DNA to help identifybodies and body parts found in the rubble.Nearly 5,000 people are still missing. Of 159 bodies received, only 99 have been identified. Fifteen of the identities were established by examining partial remains. With rescuers sometimes finding just fragments of human bodies, they hope that advanced technology will allow them to identify the missing using DNA gleaned from hair from combs or razors. New York's chief medical examiner, Charles Hirsch, said police would manage the collection of personal items like toothbrushes and underwear to identify victims by their DNA. Like the fingerprints, each person has a unique DNA profile, or what is sometimes called a DNA "fingerprint." DNA fingerprinting requires several steps, including recovery of DNA from the cells or tissues of the body. For example, the amount of DNA found at the root of one hair is usually sufficient. DNA fingerprinting has also been used in criminal cases, with a match of a suspect's DNA with DNA from a crime scene being used to convict suspects. The technology has also been used to clear the innocent. (Agencies) | 9月11日，美國世界貿(mào)易中心遭到恐怖襲擊之后，調(diào)查人員已經(jīng)通知遇難者家屬提供失蹤人員曾經(jīng)使用過的牙刷和梳子，因為牙刷和梳子上會帶有失蹤者的DNA，調(diào)查人員可以通過對DNA的分析來確認(rèn)在廢墟中找到的尸體和尸體殘骸的身份。 到目前為止，仍有近5000人(在這次事件中)下落不明。在已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)的159具尸體中，只有99具被確認(rèn)了身份，這其中15具尸體是通過對尸體殘留部分的辨認(rèn)確定身份的。  | | 一位手提公文包的商人的銅像矗立在紐約世貿(mào)中心的廢墟和大型起重機中。這里曾經(jīng)是世界金融中心，而今卻成了悼念在9·11恐怖襲擊事件中遇難者的小型紀(jì)念碑。[路透社照片] |
有時候救援人員只能找到失蹤者的尸體碎片，所以他們希望能夠運用高科技手段通過從失蹤者用過的梳子或者剃須刀上收集到DNA，以此來確認(rèn)失蹤者的身份。 紐約市驗尸主任查爾斯-希爾施說，警方可以通過對黏附在遇難者生前用過的牙刷和內(nèi)衣上DNA的檢驗來確認(rèn)他們的身份。 就像指紋一樣，每個人的DNA排列都是不同的，因而有時候DNA又叫做DNA"指紋"。DNA的鑒定需要幾個步驟，其中包括從身體的細(xì)胞或組織中找到DNA分子。例如，一根頭根上找到的DNA分子通常情況下就足以確定身份了。 DNA鑒定還被應(yīng)用于偵破犯罪案件。從犯罪現(xiàn)場采集的DNA樣本經(jīng)分析鑒定，如果和嫌疑犯的 DNA結(jié)構(gòu)一樣，那么就可以證明該嫌疑犯是犯罪分子了。DNA鑒定技術(shù)還可以為清白的人洗脫干系。 （中國日報網(wǎng)站譯） |
Updated: 2001-09-20 01:00
