Place and Time: Abingdon, October 27, 2016  from 19:00 for 19:30

Barn Room, Crown and Thistle (18 Bridge St, Abingdon OX14 3HS)

TITLE: Murder, Maggots and Mitochondrial DNA

Speaker: Ms Catherine Hale

Technological advances have led to an increased understanding of the potential of DNA analysis, broadening its impact across a wide range of fields.

The focus of this talk will be the application of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, specifically its role in species identification. This technique is used in a  number of areas, including forensic science, ancestry and conservation. Ms Catherine Hale

Catherine currently works in forensics, but developed an interest in mtDNA several years ago whilst undertaking a joint research project with the Royal Veterinary College and the Natural History Museum, London. The project, which will also be discussed tonight, compared molecular analysis methods to morphological identification methods for maggot species identification. Accurate identification of maggot species offers the potential to estimate a time of death, or the reveal if a body has been moved post-mortem.