Forensic phenotyping: How far along?

Abstract

The prediction of a person's aspect from analysis of an anonymous DNA sample has made significant progress in the last decade. Pigmentation (eyes, hair and, more recently, skin colour) can now be determined with good accuracy; face shape is still not amenable to prediction (except, in general lines, from ancestry). Age can apparently also be determined from methylation profiles. Police forces are, understandably, very interested in this technology, with a tendency to over-estimate its accuracy. Legislation varies greatly, with some nations opting for complete prohibition (Germany) and others allowing wide application of the approach (United Kingdom).