Proteins are known to give viruses a hard time. And speaking of ‘hard time’, proteins could soon be used in criminal proceedings.
According to an Australian research team, when hair samples fail to provide DNA, hair proteins can be equally good at individual identification. Why?
Because proteins’ structure, like DNA, comprises a sequence of amino acids. Genetically variant peptides in the sequence make it different for every person, producing a unique profile.
These tiny differences can be spotted using a mass spectrometer. Potentially enabling forensic departments to find a match from protein samples just like in DNA tests.
Meanwhile, fluorescent proteins in jellyfish can illuminate fingerprints in double quick time, and DNA has a role to play in data storage.
