On February 19 and 20, 2014, in Seattle, WA, Professor Dragan Primorac presented his book “Forensic DNA Applications: An Interdisciplinary Perspective” at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, an organization containing some 8,000 leading U.S. forensic professionals. Invited by Professor Primorac, 51 authors from 9 countries (from the U.S. to Australia), almost the entire world’s pool of leading authorities in the covered disciplines, took part.
The book was published by one of America’s leading publishers, CRC Press Taylor and Francis, New York. Professor Primorac co-edited the book with Professor Moses Schanfield, Ph.D., of George Washington University.
Contributors included Professor Barry Logan, Ph.D., president of the Academy, Professor Henry Lee, Ph.D., a leading U.S. forensics expert, Professor Michael Baden, Ph.D., a forensic pathologist well known for his work on the re-enactment of the assassination of late president John F. Kennedy, Professor Bruce Budowle, Ph.D., an FBI laboratory director for many years, Mr. Christopher Asplen, former deputy to the U.S. Attorney General, and many more.
The authors also specifically highlighted the role of one of the world’s most respected scientific organizations, the International Society of Applied Biological Sciences (ISABS) in the creation of this book. ISABS is an American-Croatian scientific organization that brings together the world’s leading scientists and Nobel Prize winners and organizes biennial scientific conferences in Croatia.
In its 621 pages, 23 chapters, the book covers all relevant disciplines of forensic DNA analysis. Key chapters include the basic principles of forensic DNA analysis and forensic mathematics, analysis of mitochondrial and genomic DNA, analysis of the so-called mixed biological traces, the specifics of the X and Y chromosomes in forensic analyses, DNA analysis in complex cases, on-site procedures, identification of missing persons and victims of major disasters, bioterrorism and forensic microbiology, analysis of wildlife DNA, forensic entomology, the latest technology used for forensic DNA analysis, prediction of likelihood of perpetrator based on DNA analysis, “molecular autopsy,” forensic genealogy, interpreting DNA results in court, parental testing, ethical principles of DNA analysis, the role of DNA in monitoring immigration and human trafficking, and the role of DNA databases in the identification of perpetrators.
The book describes in detail for the first time, some of the most important cases in the U.S., including, the “World Trade Center Remains Identification Project.” It is also the first book in forensic science to comprehensively deal with the issues of molecular anthropology and “forensic” investigation of origins of nations.
According to the promoters, the book is intended to be used by judges, lawyers, police, military, the FBI, any agencies involved in national security, and the academic community. The book is to be presented at Pennsylvania State University and the University of New Haven.
According to the U.S. experts who attended, the new book will have a major impact on both daily practice and the development of interdisciplinary cooperation between the courts, the police and the State Attorney’s Office.
Professor Robert E. Gaensslen, Ph.D., of the University of Illinois, Chicago, editor of the world’s leading journal of Forensic Sciences and one of the most distinguished American scholars in the field, wrote in his review, “This is the most comprehensive book published in the U.S. to date, in the field of forensic DNA analysis.”
Dr. Professor Primorac stated, “This book is the result of an enormous effort by the world’s leading forensic experts, all of whom wanted to see the most relevant disciplines of forensic DNA analysis, from crime scene procedures to the courtroom, in one place.
Since all reviews have been exceptionally positive, book promotion events from the U.S. to Australia have been announced. I am happy that the book will have a major role in the promotion of the Republic of Croatia and its institutions, particularly those with a forensic science focus, as they definitely stand among the leading institutions of the world.”
© 2020 Dragan Primorac. All Rights Reserved