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Why TV drama forensics can be dangerously wrong

The use of DNA evidence in criminal cases has sometimes been given far more weight than it deserves. In the worst examples there have been miscarriages of justice where DNA evidence has been misinterpreted. The fiction of DNA as a 'magic bullet' pervades TV drama and films - but views of DNA evidence as infallible are also widely held amongst the public, police and lawyers. Forensic specialists explain what we can and can't find from DNA evidence. Dr Adam Rutherford finds out the real story.

First broadcast on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Inside Science, 26 January 2017.

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5 minutes

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