The approach used to identify Kohberger is just one of several recent developments in DNA analysis that have transformed the way law enforcement investigates crimes. In a justice system rife with flawed science, DNA evidence is rightly viewed as the gold standard for forensics: After DNA evidence was first introduced in the criminal justice system in the late 1980s, scientists spent years developing and evaluating protocols for comparing individual DNA samples, which have been repeatedly found to produce consistent, reliable results. DNA analysis was a revolution in forensics, but like every form of scientific evidence it has the potential for error. Recent technological advancements allowing scientists to analyze increasingly small or contaminated DNA samples further complicate the process. DNA samples are also sometimes mishandled or tampered with, compromising results.

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