ABSTRACT
This chapter considers two ways in which forensic DNA profiles provide information about kinship. The current set of 20 short tandem repeat (STR) markers do not contain sufficient information to estimate the degree of relatedness between two individuals, but they do allow probabilities of the profiles to be compared under alternative hypotheses as to relatedness. These analyses have proven helpful for many years in parentage disputes and remains identification. The emerging use of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profiles from DNA sequencing is bringing forensic science closer to relatedness determination at the level of precision reported in genealogical studies.
