ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the expansion of genetic informativity, by looking at two cases of technologies that embody what we shall call a post-DNA era, where frictions between non-coding and coding DNA are increasingly relevant. The cases in point are forensic DNA phenotyping and next generation sequencing. Regardless of each technology’s specificities, the so-called post-DNA era is inevitably marked by attempts to protect forensic science’s credibility and autonomy, by engaging with anticipatory governance strategies that directly address issues of reliability, utility and legitimacy of technologies. One other feature of the post-DNA era is the increasing importance of a growing market interested in the commercialization of science and forensic equipment. Another technology, briefly addressed in this chapter, is long-range familial search conducted in recreational DNA databases where citizens voluntarily upload genetic information to know more about their health and/or ancestry. The expansion of genetic informativity, therefore, couples the ethically sustained debate about enrolling human appearance, race, and medical and family information in the field of forensic genetics, with the compounding tensions and controversies between scientific imperatives, judicial priorities, and commercial interests.
