   Zarqawi's body identification
Quote:Original source at LATU.S. officials said both bodies were identified through DNA testing.I saw the same claim in multiple articles. So what do they compare the body's DNA with? In order to identify his body they need a DNA sample which means they had to have him in custody earlier. Do they use DNA of his relatives? Then they can prove he is or isn't related to somebody but can't prove his identity.This is strange. They capture some guys, interrogate them, and get a name "Zarqawi". They see some tapes with a man claiming he's Zarqawi so they can put a face to the name. They might even have some papers with his signature. Where does DNA testing come in?   
  Well...they did capture him once, maybe they got the sample then? I'm not surprised at how much effort they're putting into this. After killing him like 6 times they want to make sure this time [grin]   ;Quote:Original post by SticksandStonesWell...they did capture him once, maybe they got the sample then? Huh, so he was in custody but then he got away or they let him go?   ;  I'm not sure how they're going about it in this case, but DNA from enough relatives is sufficient to make a positive match -- genetic triangulation, if you will.For instance, imagine that DNA from the dead person, allegedly Zarqawi, is the string S = s1...sn. DNA from his mother T, his father U, and his brother V is obtained. We want the answer to the question, "given T, U, and V, what is the probability that S is not Zarqawi?" Let A - B be the genetic difference between A and B. Then we expect (T - U) >> ((U || T) - V) > (S - T). If this holds, and there are no other siblings unaccounted for, it's almost certainly Zarqawi, so the probability is very low. Thus it's safe to assume that a positive match indicates it is actually Zarqawi.   ;  Ah yes, but where does the K man fit into this dark genetic equation?   ;Quote:Original post by CoffeeMugQuote:Original post by SticksandStonesWell...they did capture him once, maybe they got the sample then? Huh, so he was in custody but then he got away or they let him go?AKAIK they let him go because they didn't know who he was.   ;  Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was in a Jordanian prison for several years.  Considering that the Jordanians helped with this operation, it makes sense that they would help identify him as well.   ;  HAven't you guys been keeping up with the latest in DNA research? Scientists have found that after a certain age, your name gets embedded into the DNA itself. For example, take a look at this picture of a highly damaged and malformed DNA molecule:There's nothing of significance upon first sight, but if you zoom in and look more closely, you can in fact see the name of the person to whom this DNA belongs to! How I pity the soul of the owner of this genetic garbage...;  How come no one's mentioning the child they murdered when they bombed that house?Ah Machiavellianism, you've reared your ugly head once again.   ;Quote:Original post by MithrandirHow come no one's mentioning the child they murdered when they bombed that house?How come nobody's mentioning the entire village (Haditha?) a squad of US Marines torched and shot their way through after freaking out Vietnam-style?   