DNA software breakthrough could solve cold cases

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Scientists have developed a way of reading DNA found on items touched by more than one person at a crime scene.

Previously scientists could not create a DNA profile based on "mixed DNA".

But with the new technique, called DNA Boost, they can unscramble two people's DNA, allowing police to search the DNA database for possible matches.

Martin Bell, a researcher from the Forensic Science Service, said: "Many unsolved cold cases that involve DNA profiles that are too weak or mixed to be of use will be able to be revisited by using DNA Boost."

Mr Bell said forensic scientists look for two pieces of information present in everybody's DNA which can be matched together to create one person's DNA profile.

The DNA Boost software sorts the scrambled pieces of DNA found when several people are present and pairs them up to create a list of potential profiles. These can be searched for on the DNA database.