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Fapstronaut
Chris Long is an IT worker at the Washoe County Sheriff's Office in Reno, Nevada. But all the DNA in his semen belongs to a German man he has never met. This is because Long received a bone marrow transplant from the European stranger four years ago—and the unexpected biological impact this has had could affect the future of forensic science.
According to a recently published article in The New York Times, the transplant was intended to treat Long's acute myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer that prevents the body from producing healthy blood cells. After the surgery, the donor's healthy blood-making cells replaced Long's unhealthy ones, returning his body to normal blood production. Thus, it makes sense that Long's blood would contain the donor's DNA.
However, Long's colleague, Renee Romero, who is in charge of the forensic laboratory in the office, thought that the bone marrow transplant might affect the DNA in other parts of his body. Therefore, she encouraged Long to collect a DNA sample before the surgery so that the team could compare it with samples taken after the surgery.
Long agreed. Since the surgery, the team at the sheriff's office has collected a large number of additional DNA samples from various parts of his body. Sometimes, they find both Long's DNA and the donor's DNA in the samples, such as when they test swabs from his lips, cheeks, and tongue. Samples from his chest and hair show only Long's DNA.
But perhaps most surprisingly, four years after the surgery, semen samples from Long show only the donor's DNA. Long told The New York Times, "I feel like I've disappeared and someone else has appeared. It's truly incredible."
The mechanism behind this transformation is mysterious. Three bone marrow transplant experts consulted by The New York Times unanimously believe that the surgery could not cause recipients to produce sperm containing the donor's DNA.
At the same time, Mehrdad Abedi, the doctor at the University of California, Davis, who treated Long, told the newspaper that the surprising semen phenomenon in his patient is likely because Long had a vasectomy after having his second child.
However, Long's case raises a series of new questions about the use of DNA as evidence in court cases. Forensic scientists have already had to grapple with the issue of innocent people's DNA occasionally appearing at crime scenes due to bone marrow transplants. But at least in these cases, they also have the "right" DNA to track.
But what if someone in a situation like Long committed a sexual crime and investigators collected a semen sample, would the donor be accused of the crime given that there is no other DNA at the scene?
This is a terrifying possibility that scientists must now consider—and it's all because Long's colleagues decided to use him as their private experimental subject.
According to a recently published article in The New York Times, the transplant was intended to treat Long's acute myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer that prevents the body from producing healthy blood cells. After the surgery, the donor's healthy blood-making cells replaced Long's unhealthy ones, returning his body to normal blood production. Thus, it makes sense that Long's blood would contain the donor's DNA.
However, Long's colleague, Renee Romero, who is in charge of the forensic laboratory in the office, thought that the bone marrow transplant might affect the DNA in other parts of his body. Therefore, she encouraged Long to collect a DNA sample before the surgery so that the team could compare it with samples taken after the surgery.
Long agreed. Since the surgery, the team at the sheriff's office has collected a large number of additional DNA samples from various parts of his body. Sometimes, they find both Long's DNA and the donor's DNA in the samples, such as when they test swabs from his lips, cheeks, and tongue. Samples from his chest and hair show only Long's DNA.
But perhaps most surprisingly, four years after the surgery, semen samples from Long show only the donor's DNA. Long told The New York Times, "I feel like I've disappeared and someone else has appeared. It's truly incredible."
The mechanism behind this transformation is mysterious. Three bone marrow transplant experts consulted by The New York Times unanimously believe that the surgery could not cause recipients to produce sperm containing the donor's DNA.
At the same time, Mehrdad Abedi, the doctor at the University of California, Davis, who treated Long, told the newspaper that the surprising semen phenomenon in his patient is likely because Long had a vasectomy after having his second child.
However, Long's case raises a series of new questions about the use of DNA as evidence in court cases. Forensic scientists have already had to grapple with the issue of innocent people's DNA occasionally appearing at crime scenes due to bone marrow transplants. But at least in these cases, they also have the "right" DNA to track.
But what if someone in a situation like Long committed a sexual crime and investigators collected a semen sample, would the donor be accused of the crime given that there is no other DNA at the scene?
This is a terrifying possibility that scientists must now consider—and it's all because Long's colleagues decided to use him as their private experimental subject.