A Strand of Hair Can Help Trace an Individual

Hair is made up of a protein called Keratin. Proteins are made of amino acids which are the building blocks of life. A Protein present in the hair contains a lot of information that can uniquely identify a human.

Nuclear DNA is unique for each person and considered an ideal marker for human recognition, however, the stability of the DNA can be affected by heat, light and moisture

A new study says, a person can be identified based on hair protein markers along with the DNA fingerprinting.

DNA fingerprinting (also called as DNA profiling) is most commonly used for identification in forensic science and archaeology; however, environmental factors and chemical process can degrade DNA, limiting its usefulness over time. But proteins are more stable than DNA and  consist of variations which may be unique to an individual.

Researchers successfully identified proteins in bioarchaeological hair samples from six different people, including a sample that was 250-years old. Their analysis proves hair proteins remain stable and identifiable over time.

Scientists are planning to create a database of hundred protein markers that can be used to uniquely identify the proteins present in a single hair, singling out an individual. 

The new identification technique using protein profiling can help in understanding the human movement across the world, identifying victims of natural disasters, identifying bodies in mass graves, tracing missing babies or children to their parents, identifying war victims and identifying suspects in a crime scene.

In the future, the researchers hope to identify genetic threat that lead to anomalies such as cleft lip and palate.