- 01 Introduction
- 02 Biology of DNA
- 03 Practical Issues Specific to DNA Evidence
- 04 Introduction to the Forensic DNA Laboratory
- 05 Assuring Quality in DNA Testing
- 06 Understanding a Forensic DNA Lab Report
- 07 Statistics and Population Genetics
- 08 Mitochondrial DNA & Y-STR Analysis
- 09 Forensic DNA Databases
- 10 Collection of DNA Evidence from Suspects and Arrestees
- 11 Pretrial DNA Evidence Issues
- 12 Victim Issues
- 13 Trial Presentation
- 14 Postconviction DNA Cases
- 15 Emerging Trends
Principles of Forensic DNA
for Officers of the Court
for Officers of the Court
Module 8 :: mtDNA & Y-STR
Topic 2 :: mtDNA Laboratory Analysis
Relevance of Statistical Information
A statistical calculation appropriate for mtDNA analysis gives a meaningful context for the failure to exclude a maternal lineage as the source of a sample.
First, an mtDNA sequence database that is assembled and maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation is searched for the mtDNA type observed in a case. A computerized search output states how many times that type is in the database. This is the database frequency.
