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(Photo source: Pixabay, Internet) With the progress of the times, there are more and more advanced means in modern criminal investigation technology. In addition to fingerprint DNA detection, image detection and network detection, there are also unexpected: cats!

Sheriff Kitty, we got a hit!| Giphy is right, cats can really help police solve cases. A recent study has given cats a new identity: they can be used as crucial evidence in criminal investigations.

Forensic researchers at Flinders University in Australia suggest that cats contaminated with human DNA may be able to tell us who the killer is when solving crimes.

In life, our DNA often moves to other places when we touch each other, and even with a handshake, a large number of cells fall off. Forensic scientists at Flinders University have previously used a special dye that shows how many cells we accidentally "leave behind."

However, since it falls off so easily, DNA from more than a dozen people may stick to one person, making it difficult to collect and test later. However, the amount of DNA on your "resident" cat owner is much more specific.

The researchers recruited 20 volunteer cats, collected samples from them, and analyzed them using STR, a genetic test that uses short repeat sequences to identify individuals and identify genetic relationships. In 80 percent of the samples, enough DNA was found to provide a test, and in 70 percent of the samples, the researchers were able to determine who the DNA came from.

Some of the samples even tell researchers how many people are in the family, or even who is visiting.

It seems that cats can really be used as clues. However, this research is only the beginning. In the future, the scientists plan to study more cat clues, such as how the owner's activities affect the cat's DNA, how long the cat's DNA will last...

Although the research is only the beginning. But in real life, cats have long been good helpers for the police!

In 1994, a Canadian woman named Shirley disappeared. Police are treating her husband as a suspect, and Shirley's neighbors and friends have told investigators that her husband has been violent before.

However, since there is no other evidence, it is difficult for the police to determine. But just three days later, police recovered a bag containing bloodstained clothes and shoes. The police identified the blood as Shirley's.

Whose clothes are they? After a detailed search, the police found some cat hair in the clothes pocket. After verification, they found that it was the cat hair of Shirley's house. And the shoe size matches Shirley's husband's!

The evidence clearly indicated that the murderer was indeed Shirley's husband.

Who hates cat hair the most? Not you, the killer.| Another similar case occurred a decade ago. The cat hair found on a man who died in an accident turned out to be his neighbor's. Investigators used this method to identify his neighbor as a suspect.

Britain has created a database of cat DNA to help explain how annoying cat hair can be a key clue in solving crimes. Project leader Jon Wetton said: "This could be a forensic boon, as tens of millions of cats in the UK already tag clothing and furniture in their homes."

It's mine, don't you agree?| However, there were certainly not only cats but also dogs and even parrots that could be used as clues.

In 2001, a man was robbed and killed in his home. And his pet cockatoo rose up to protect its owner, leaving feathers and blood in the house from his heroic struggle.

Police found DNA from the killer on the parrot's beak and claws, which helped them find the killer.

How could cockatoos be so powerful! You can beat people and dance!| Some Pixabay cases involve finding human DNA from animals, while others involve finding animal DNA from animals. And all of this shows that our relationship with the animals around us is getting closer and closer, and it has become a clue for investigators to study "who did what."

A STR kit called MeowPlex has been developed to detect cat hair, and under certain conditions, it even has similar sensitivity to human STR kits. There is also an increasing focus on building a DNA database of animals, which will make them more frequent and accurate among investigators 'leads.

Although our companion animals can't speak "human language," they do, to some extent, tell us who the killer is.

It's a small sheriff.| Source network references:

[1] Monkman, Heidi, Roland AH van Oorschot, and Mariya Goray. "Is there human DNA on cats. " Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series (2022

[2] Kaesler, Todd, K. Paul Kirkbride, and Adrian Linacre. "DNA deposited in whole thumbprints: A reproducibility study. " Forensic Science International: Genetics 58 (2022): 102683.

[3] Butler, John M., et al. "The MeowPlex: a new DNA test using tetranucleotide STR markers for the domestic cat. " Profiles in DNA 5.2 (2002): 7.

[4] 'Bird's bravery convicts killer',BBC

[5] https://nypost.com/2013/08/14/british-database-of-cat-dna-database-helps-put-convicted-killer-away-for-life-a-real-boon-for-forensic-science-says-project-leader/

[6] https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna35948243

This article comes from Weixin Official Accounts: Bring Science Home (ID: steamforkids), Author: Skin, Revision: A Xian

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