DNA Database Can Identify
60% of Americans, Says Study The percentage pertains to Americans
who have European ancestry, even
if they haven't submitted their DNA. The study analyzed the DNA of
1.2 million people who had
submitted their genetic information
to one of two genealogy websites. It raises privacy concerns
about how police and hackers
might use the information. The chief science officer
from MyHeritage Yaniv Erlich, CSO MyHeritage, via NBC News Yaniv Erlich, CSO MyHeritage, via NBC News California police used the tactic
to track down and arrest
the suspected "Golden State Killer." The elusive serial killer had evaded capture for decades. Police were led to Joseph DeAngelo
because one of his cousins' DNA
was in a genealogy database. Police extracted DeAngelo's
DNA from a disposed tissue. His DNA matched
the DNA collected Shai Carmi, geneticist Hebrew University of Jerusalem, via NBC News