Analytical ChemistryREVIEW worth noting that conference proceedings are available online for important meetings in this field including the International Symposium on Human Identification (aka the "Promega meeting") (http://www.promega.com/geneticidproc/) and the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG) (http://www. isfg.org) meetings. Volume 13 of Progress in Forensic Genetics, which contains the proceedings of the ISFG meeting held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in September 2009, includes 250 brief articles covering current research on all aspects of forensic DNA typing. 2 Short tandem repeat (STR) typing of autosomal markers with fluorescence-based detection is now almost universally used in forensic DNA laboratories worldwide. 3 Reduced-size STR, or miniSTR, assays are being developed for improved recovery of information from badly damaged DNA templates. Low level DNA and samples containing mixtures continue to present challenges for forensic analysts. A large portion of the literature involves reporting STR allele frequencies from various populations. However, limited space in this review prevents a summary or description of the many population studies performed in 2009 and 2010.Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) continue to be explored as potential supplements to STR markers already in use but will probably not replace STRs in the near future. Information on uniparental lineage markers from the Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA continues to accumulate in the literature. These lineage markers are also widely used for human evolutionary studies and genetic genealogy. The availability of commercial kits for Y-STR amplification has enabled more widespread usage of these important male-specific markers in forensic DNA laboratories. A number of X-chromosome STRs are also being investigated. Nonhuman DNA plays a useful role in many forensic investigations. Tests have been developed for plant and animal DNA testing to associate victims or suspects to crime scenes.National DNA databases collectively house millions of STR profiles around the world. With the demonstrated success of linking previous offenders to unsolved crimes they have committed, new legislation is expanding the number of samples that will be going into DNA databases of the future. In December 2010, the United States exceeded 9.5 million DNA profiles in the National DNA Index System of the FBI Laboratory's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). The United Kingdom has over four million STR profiles in their national DNA database, which represents a significant portion of their active criminal population.Automation of laboratory techniques and data interpretation with expert systems has become increasingly important with the large numbers of DNA samples that need to be examined. Forensic DNA testing also aids missing persons investigations and identification of mass disaster victims albeit with some extra issues unique to kinship and parentage analysis. At the end of the forensic DNA analysis section, we also list relevant papers on interpretat...
