What destroys dna?

Discussion in 'Biology & Genetics' started by Ace!, Mar 5, 2005.

  1. sciborg Registered Member

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    Yes I have heard that bleach will destroy DNA but how could a perp be sure he got it all.
     
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  3. Chatha big brown was screwed up Registered Senior Member

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    A very strong base could neautralize DNA and give off salt and water. Radiation also has some effects.
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2007
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  5. valich Registered Senior Member

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    Why would it give off salt and water? Are you saying that this is a byproduct of a reaction with DNA? I don't know.
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2007
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  7. CharonZ Registered Senior Member

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    Kinda cool, although expensive. Hmmm where to get a Eppendorf cup large enough to place a body.
     
  8. valich Registered Senior Member

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    DNAase and RNAase
     
  9. draqon Banned Banned

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    DNA destroys itself during the copy process

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  10. CharonZ Registered Senior Member

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    Well, it doesn't. ;P

    In addition, RNase, as the name already suggests, does not degrade DNA...
     
  11. spuriousmonkey Banned Banned

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    Indeed. When I make an RNA probe I add RNAse free DNAse to get rid of the DNA and keep the RNA.

    RNAse is highly specific for RNA. DNAse is specific for DNA.
     
  12. valich Registered Senior Member

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    Sorry. I was just thinking they're both produced by the pancreas to breakdown nucleic acids. I don't know enough.
     
  13. BlakeDrapeta Registered Member

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    Turn the room into a bag

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    Iron out the plans & details, take the necessary precautions, and you just might get away with it. Not that I would ever recommend that, I was just researching this for a horror story I'm writing.

    Also, couldn't one use a sedative (or whatever they're called) to knock someone out, then give them a nice airpocket in their veins (I don't know if that actually works or not)? If it doesn't, then I'm sure theres plenty of ways to kill someone without having to make a mess. If I were going to kill someone, dismemberment would occur afterwards in a controlled environment (as well as all other stages of preparation).

    Then as river-wind suggested, in a tub use a strong base to get rid of flesh, then high concentration hydrochloric acid to take care of bones and other leftovers.

    Or

    Maybe you could use sodium hydroxide (as suggested by asguard), but I'm not sure what that stuff will eat through. Sodium hydroxide in conjunction with hydrochloric acid might be useable in disposing of a dismembered body, in a stainless steel sink (if the body is cut up into appropriately sized pieces).

    Or

    Dispose of the body somewhere, instead of putting it into a state where it would be more difficult to find/easier and less risky to dispose of (i.e down a drain). The only problem with this is that it entails more transportation of the body/parts. The only transportation which should occur is in discreetly bringing the body to the location where it will be prepared and disposed of. Transporting it again from that location increases risk, but then successfully disposing of it somewhere which is very unlikely to be discovered (i.e bottom of the ocean) would eliminate the risk of the previous location being discovered to be where the body was probably prepared, and it inevitably being discovered that the sink or bathtub and several chemicals (or whatever they're called) were used to dispose of the body.
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2009
  14. tuberculatious Banned Banned

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    I use bleach.
     
  15. TickChick Registered Member

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    Mitochondrial DNA is found in mammalian blood. duh.

    I use blood obtained from mosquito abdomens to identify what mammal they fed on. You can easily obtain mitochondrial DNA from blood which can be used to identify species, individual, or parentage. duh!
     
  16. chimpkin C'mon, get happy! Registered Senior Member

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    Interesting job you have there. Is that a population study of an area's nighttime mammals?
     
  17. GeoffP Caput gerat lupinum Valued Senior Member

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    I'd be interested to see just how degraded a sample could still be usable forensically. I have a few friends in forensics labs, but their work tends to be with relatively fresh or well-preserved samples. Dehydration probably counts for a lot.
     

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