Genetic Reconstruction of the Past: DNA Analysis in Forensics and Human Evolution

Genetic Reconstruction of the Past describes how DNA analysis can be used to make inferences not only in criminal cases but also about the ancient past. Part One focuses on forensic genetics and crime scenes. It gives an in-depth account of how we developed PCR, and used it on DNA evidence for the first time in a US court case in 1986; the first post-conviction exoneration; and the first identification of a missing person. Part Two discusses how the same DNA technology and data can also illuminate the ancient past, the history of human origins and migrations.

Henry A. Erlich is Research Emeritus at the Benioff UCSF Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute. He received his B.A. in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard in 1965 and his Ph.D in Genetics from the University of Washington. He was a post-doctoral fellow in the Biology Department at Princeton University from 1972-75 and in the Immunology Department at the Stanford School of Medicine from 1975-79. He was Director of the Human Genetics Department at Cetus Corporation and Director of Human Genetics and VP of Exploratory Research at Roche Molecular Systems until 2013. He was a Senior Scientist at the Research Institute until 2021.