So umm does CNN think a husband and wife's DNA will match?

[Very_Boring_Name]

Was reading an article on CNN about the killing of Fazul Abdullah Mohammed and had to scratch my head at this line:

A sample of his DNA was sent to Nairobi, where U.S. officials confirmed it was Mohammed. They had taken DNA samples from his wife and children some years ago.

Can anybody explain to me why they would need a DNA sample from his wife, and why that would be relevant in identifying the husband's remains?

[Maru Kitteh]

1. You really can't figure this one out by yourself? n/t

[htuttle]

2. If they were checking his DNA against his children's

It might help to have his wife's DNA to screen that out from the children's genome.

I actually no idea. Just a guess..... :shrug:

[Electric Monk]

3. I accidentally the whole thing!

[htuttle]

9. Lol!

whoops.

[Chan790]

6. Pretty much.

It's much much easier to trace maternal lineage than paternal lineage through DNA, so much so that DNA results that cannot be screened for the mother's genome are considered less accurate than those that cannot be screened for the father's.

We have the mother of his children. It's easy to screen those results to ID a sufficient number of markers to ID their father.

This in part is why those "where did I come from" genetic DNA tests typically only provide results for the matrilineal line. (Mother, Mother's mother, Mother's mother's mother, etc.)

[JI7]

4. maybe cousin marriage ?

[laconicsax]

5. Have you never heard of a paternity test?

:shrug:

[pnwmom]

7. It's almost as simple as addition and subtraction.

Knowing the genes the kids have, and the wive has, that tells them that the rest of the DNA came from the father.

[HockeyMom]

8. My husband's a Republican, so there is no way

we have the same DNA.

[Octafish]

10. It does for a lot of Beck's viewers.

Same for Most of Limbaugh's listeners.