AST Digital Magazine July 2017 Digital-July | Page 43

Volume 14 New DNA Tech Creates Digital ‘Sketch’ of Terrorists’ Faces July 2017 Edition José Alvarez, Jr. was arrested for the murders of Douglas “Troy” and LaDonna French in August 2015. (Courtesy of Parabon NanoLabs) By Allison Barrie, Fox News Bad news for criminals who are trying to re- main hidden, nameless and faceless. New technology can predict what a terrorist’s face looks like from less than a drop of blood or single strand of hair. Called the Parabon Snapshot, this new ground- breaking technology can take traces of DNA and literally put a face to the crime. From a terrorist who built a bomb intended to kill hundreds of Americans through to a thief who stole your grandmother’s handbag, this is the sort of American innovation that makes it hard for a bad guy to stay anonymous. (Law enforcement now has a new DNA tool that helps nab suspects and close cases. The service, developed by Para- bon NanoLabs of Reston, Virginia, is called the Parabon® Snapshot™ DNA Phenotyping Service (Snapshot). It pre- dicts the physical appearance of individuals from the small- est of DNA evidence samples, creating a composite image or “snapshot” of any DNA source. Courtesy of Parabon and YouTube) 43