DNA on verge of describing crooks' looks

Killers and crooks, clean up after yourselves.

Scientists appear to be on the cusp of being able to develop physical descriptions of criminal suspects based on an analysis of the DNA left behind at a crime scene.

The latest breakthrough in this emerging field, known as forensic phenotyping, came just a few weeks ago when a group of Dutch scientists announced they had devised a test that allows them to reliably predict someone's age -- to within nine years -- based merely on a blood sample.

That same group has previously said it can also predict eye colour using similar methods. Hair colour is next up on the research agenda.

The scientists say their findings could help investigators narrow down the search for suspects and revive "cold" cases where there are no eyewitnesses, or where DNA from the crime scene doesn't match any profiles already stored in criminal databases.

"Our approach is expected to provide investigative leads in criminal cases by allowing an accurate estimation of the generation age of unknown individuals from minute blood stains," the team, based at...