By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of parliament, Friday adopted in its first reading a bill on the creation of a national DNA database.
The planned DNA database would contain samples recovered from crime scenes and taken from suspects, and could prove effective in tackling crime, including terrorism, the police said.
DNA, or Deoxyribonucleic acide, is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main scientific role of DNA molecules is that they store the whole genetic history of the target organism.
Such a database, which has equivalents in Britain, the US, Canada and other countries, could also help law enforcement authorities identify dead bodies and find missing persons.
The authors of the bill believe that widespread use of DNA evidence would reduce the crime rate in Russia by discouraging people from committing crimes.