How do you ID a dead Osama anyway?

[Ian David]

How do you ID a dead Osama anyway?
Posted on: May 1, 2011 9:13 PM, by Christie Wilcox

<snip>

But how do they know it's him? Well, they have the visual evidence and the body, for one. But to be certain it's not a look-a-like, the government has taken steps above and beyond to make sure they've got who they think they have: DNA analysis.

Now, I'm not entirely sure what DNA analysis has been done, but I can say this for certain - whatever method they used could be completed in a matter of hours given a lab ready to go and focused solely on this. Using commonplace PCR methods - which, for the record, is what I use in my lab every day - Bin Laden could easily be ID'd faster than you'd think. Heck, I can get DNA from a fish and turn it into sequences or genotypes in 24 hours, so I think the US government can work faster than me when time is of the essence. Allow let me explain how they could do it so quickly.

<snip>

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour, maybe less.


So how long did it take to get Bin Laden's fingerprint? Well, with the three steps here, just under 5 hours. And for all I know, the FBI has a faster way of doing it - I wouldn't exactly be shocked. That, and some are reporting he actually died last week sometime, and they've been waiting for the DNA confirmation - which also, frankly, wouldn't shock me.

Of course, to ID Bin Laden in this way, they would have to have some Bin Laden DNA lying around to compare it to. I don't know if they had some from some inside source, or not. What they do have is brain tissue from Bin Laden's sister, who died in the US. They can compare his genetic signature to hers and determine if they are related - which is as close as you can get to guaranteeing it's Bin Laden without a sample of his actual DNA from prior to his death.

More:
http://networkedblogs.com/hoBKg?a=share&ref=nf#

A guy just called into the Stephanie Miller Show who says his company makes these DNA kits, and their kits can do it in two hours.

[HereSince1628]

1. I think the longest single block of time in the process was

probably flying the samples back to the aircraft carrier.

on edit: of course I am assuming that's where the analysis took place.

[TNDemo]

2. When did he die?

DNA takes days, not hours. When the story first broke they were saying he had been dead a week but then I didn't hear that anymore.

[Ian David]

3. No, it takes hours. Sometimes less than two hours. n/t

[robinlynne]

4. Several scientists have posted here. it takes hours. I was also under

the impression that it took a long time. here in LA , there are rape kits waiting for 10 years. Apparently that has nothing to do with how long the actual process takes.

[Renew Deal]

5. I heard the US has part of Bin Laden sisters brain.

How did they get that?

[demwing]

6. News video on this very subject

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN6yQcSr97U

As reported by WCVB TV in Boston...The death of a sister of Osama bin Laden at Massachusetts General Hospital allowed the United States to confirm bin Laden's death.

[rhett o rick]

7. I heard they have a DNA sample from one of his relatives. nm

[mogster]

8. There's a photo that circulates on twitter

http://twitpic.com/4svby9/full