ABSTRACT
Genetic diversity data are collected from individuals, but these data are traditionally interpreted in terms of groups of interbreeding individuals (populations), and their population structure. The variation is generated by mutation and, while most is neutral, some affects visible traits. As the resolution of data increases with advances in technology, one can gather more and more information from individual diploid genomes that can tells about their carriers. This chapter focuses on the individual instead of the population. In practice, there are methodological and financial constraints that influence the kinds and numbers of polymorphisms that are used for analysis. The situation in a forensic laboratory is very different from that in a research context. With the introduction of highly sensitive PCR-based methods, forensic scientists gained access to DNA profiles from a wide range of samples that were previously inaccessible: single hairs, cigarette butts, saliva on postage stamps, bite marks, fingerprints, and so forth.
