The past, present and future of DNA science

About this episode

This episode features Prof Turi King discussing the evolution and future of DNA science, including its applications in forensics and medical screening.

Whether it’s the swab tests many of us use to help us piece together our family trees, the painstaking detective work carried out by forensic scientists, or its use in medical screening to look for signs of our predisposition to develop certain diseases, DNA science has become a regular fixture in news stories, pop culture and dinner table conversations in many of our homes. But how exactly do these processes work, what can they really tell, or not tell us, and what developments can we expect in the future? In this episode, we’re joined by Prof Turi King, the director of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, co-presenter of the BBC’s DNA Family Secrets and best-selling author, to talk about her latest book, The Secrets of DNA – How Genetics has Changed the World. She tells us about the fascinating stories surrounding the development of fingerprinting techniques that now allow us to identify unique individuals based on their DNA alone, how forensic scientists really use DNA science to solve crimes, and why our DNA is still hiding many more secrets that are waiting to be discovered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Guest: Prof Turi King

Topics covered

• DNA science
• forensic science
• genetics
• medical screening
• family trees
• future developments

Keywords

• DNA
• forensics
• genetics
• family trees
• medical screening
• fingerprinting
• disease predisposition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Bath, BBC

Books & works: The Secrets of DNA – How Genetics has Changed the World

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