Forensic Mathematics

... is the best short description that I have found to describe the work that I do, which mostly pertains to DNA identification, and includes consulting, writing software – DNA•VIEW is DNA identification software used by some 100 laboratories, in every continent (except Antarctica) – academic activities in mathematics, biostatistics, and various aspects of population genetics.

Contents

recently added pages
index of this web site
Neruda investigation – comments and Executive Summary (Feb 2023)
Presentations including powerpoints (since 2003) (Apr 2023)

Presentations and posters (pre-2003)

major mixture developments include —
- Mixture Solution™ design and overview (short pdf essay) Apr 2022
- How to decide how many contributors in a mixture Jan 2022
Vita
Bibliography
Software

Downloads
Technical notes

photo by Peter DaSilva

Charles H. Brenner, Ph.D.
Consulting in Forensic Mathematics
DNA•VIEW DNA software
Senior Research Fellow — Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley
6801 Thornhill Drive
Oakland, California 94611-1336 USA
☎ (510)7139(clockwise corners!)but only after 798
No fax. Faxes are obsolescent.
For email charles followed by @dna-view.com
(chb@... decommissioned due to spam)

conferences

AAFS ‘25. 17^th – 22^th February 2025 Baltimore Convention Center. Maryland.
30^th ISFG, Santiago de Compostela. 9^th –13^th September
Dyalog ’24: Glascow, 15^th–19^th September Golden Jubilee Hotel

This site indexing doesn't seem to be comprehensive. You might have better luck using Google with the site: keyword like this:

site:dna-view.com racial discrimination

Site search Website search technology courtesy FreeFind.com

Index Situs

recently added or revised pages

Neruda investigation – comments and Executive Summary (Feb 2023)
Is allelic stacking additive? (Feb 2022)

Prior probability — the fallacy of “conversion” (Nov 2020)
Glossary of useful words and phrases (Nov 2020)
Mixtures

What is a mixture? (Nov 2020)
What is a contributor? (Nov 2020)
Holy grail of mixture analysis? Or how to frame a suspect? (Feb 2020 AAFS presentation, Powerpoint & notes)

Y Haplotype presentations
- The Y Haploype Geography problem (Powerpoint from May 2018 Haploid meeting in Bydgoczsz)
- Mathematics takes a holiday — the slides and some background of my 2018 AAFS talk on SWGDAM's Y haplotype recommendation.
Rare haplotypes presentations and discussions
- Understanding Y haplotype matching probability Nov 2013
- Fundamental problem of Forensic Mathematics — Evidential value of a rare haplotype Nov 10, 2009
  - Comments on the paper — Rare haplotype matching probability June 16, 2009
- 2012 Powerpoint (from Innsbruck meeting) — Compared to 2010 version, omits population genetic opening discussion; adds some rebuttals at the end. Sept 2012
- 2010 Powerpoint presentation (20 minutes with recorded narrative) May 6, 2010
  - transcript of narrative May 6, 2010
- Poster (Innsbruck meeting) The “frequency surveying” approach cannot work Sept 2012
Mixtures —
- How to Decide How Many Contributors in a Mixture
  AAFS 2019 presentation
- dealing with dropout
- Mixture calculation from suspect's relatives Dec 17, 2010
Paternity calculation with tri-allelic pattern —
- Tri-allelism difficulty — multiple models Jan 2018
- correction to early ideaFeb 2014
Probability is not Frequency — how to "punish" a small database July 14, 2012
Brenner's Law — rare alleles are common July 14, 2012
"Coherent Analysis" — remarks relating to modeling and allele probabilities. July 14, 2012
"glossary" — filling some gaps Oct 15, 2011
Towards professionalism in forensic mathematics Sep 6, 2011 — What forensic mathematics writing should be, criticism of what it is, criticism of some criticism.
Thinking clearly about likelihood ratios and siblingship Aug 1, 2011
Assumptions in the "probability of paternity" — box Dec 8, 2010
Child body ID trick Sept 10, 2010
Seminars in Forensic Mathematics for the Public Feb 2, 2014
travel photos

Confidence interval challenge – followup June 16, 2009
STR mutation page enhanced Dec08
comments on ISFG paternity standards allele probability recommendation Jun08
DNA•VIEW Newsletter #21 Mar08
Graphing simulations (DNA•VIEW version 28.55) Dec07

Software

DNA•VIEW – product information
- DNA•VIEW Newsletter #23 Feb14
- DNA•VIEW recorded demo May06
- Multiplexes and PCR list for DNA•VIEW May01
- DNA•VIEW Newsletter #21 Mar08
- DNA•VIEW Newsletter #20 Oct05
- DNA•VIEW Newsletter #19 Mar04
- DNA•VIEW Newsletter #18 Feb03
- DNA•VIEW Newsletter #17 Jun02
- DNA•VIEW Newsletter #16 Jan01
- DNA•VIEW Newsletter #15 Apr00
- DNA•VIEW Newsletter #14 Apr99
- DNA•VIEW Newsletter #13 Oct98
- DNA•VIEW Newsletter #11
Programs in DNA•VIEW
- Symbolic Kinship Program – description and history Jan02
- Kinship Simulation Oct02
- Symbolic Kinship Program example (also in PATER) Dec97
- Immigration and Kinship Analysis rev Oct00
- Zygosity studies with DNA•VIEW Aug02
- Simple Stain Calculator Nov98
Validation
Technical notes
PATER – product overview

Download software upgrades, documentation

Vita

Consulting
Mathematics
Press clippings

World Trade Centre forensics break new ground Nature.com Jun03
SF Weekly "Cash for Genes" re Larry Hillbloom Apr00
NY Times interview A Math Sleuth Whose Secret Weapon Is Statistics Aug00
SF Weekly "Truth Over Death" Mar02

Playing bridge

Discussions in forensic mathematics

comments on ISFG paternity standards allele probability recommendation Jun08
Arizona DNA Database Matches Jan07
Work in progress – Ideas in forensic mathematics Sep10
Assumptions in the "probability of paternity" Nov97
What's wrong with the "exclusion probability" Nov97
Mixed stain exclusion probability Jun00
What does it mean: "Paternity practically proven?" Dec97
Paradoxes and posers in forensic mathematics Oct97

answer: The littlest database
answer: Haplotype frequencies rev June01
answer: Man, woman, and child

Mixtures: Mixture Solution poster.pdf — Krakow 2015 poster, printable pdf Sep15; Automated expertise — the DNA•VIEW Mixture Solution™ Sep14; DNA•VIEW Newsletter #23 Feb14; Mixture calculation from suspect's relatives Dec 17, 2010

Disaster/Mass Identification: El Salvador orphans – simulations July06 update; Tsunami victim identification considerations Apr05; WTC Victim Identification – prospectus Oct01; WTC Victim Identification – diary rev Jun02; WTC prospective DNA analysis Powerpoint presentation at NYU Medical Center Oct01

Likelihood ratios

Thinking clearly about likelihood ratios and siblingship Aug 1, 2011

Mixture calculation from suspect's relatives Dec 17, 2010

Careful Formulation of a Likelihood Ratio Statement based on Anecdotal Evidence Dec09

Placental mixture paternity calculation Dec04

Solution to ESWG ISFG 2004 paternity "paper challenge" June04

Likelihood ratios – what are they good for? Mar99

Confusing LR and probability Oct03

Analysis of 3-banded patterns in paternity Apr99

Forensic mathematics of DNA profiling Jan99

Paternity with multiple hypotheses Oct01

Strategies and calculations in DNA kinship cases rev Apr00

Kinship poster, Nagasaki

Mutation

Multiple mutations, covert mutations, and false exclusions in paternity casework May05

Y-haplotype mutation example June04

Mutation formulas in paternity Dec98

Mutation model implemented in DNA•VIEW

RFLP mutation rates

uncertainty graph

SNP's: SNP-power, and No Database, (Poster) Orlando Oct99

Statistics: DNA frequency uncertainty; DNA frequency uncertainty – Why bother? Dec98; low p-values Nov99; Statistical concepts lectures at Dept of Genetics, Univ of Leicester Sep99

Miscellaneous: DNA Identification Technology and APL (presentation) Dec05; Larry Hillblom Inheritance Oct98; Thomas Jefferson's descendents rev Oct98; Commentary on the Venegas decision May98

Data

Paternity index formulas rev Mar02
Sibship likelihood ratios Nov97
D2S44 frequency graph
RFLP mutation rates
- Cellmark probe frequency graphs
4-d graphs of racial likelihoods
explanation of 4-d graphing technique

of various authors
of CH Brenner

bibliography, texts of some papers, comments

Links to other sites: YHRD - Y Chromosome Haplotype Reference Database; Applied Biosystems YFiler Haplotype Database; Distribution of human DNA-PCR polymorphisms; International Society of Forensic Genetics; Forensic links list of the Forensic Science Society; The Genome Database; A Glossary of Genetics; Legal bibliographies (David Kaye); National Center for Biotechnology Information; Comments on identification, Law Prof Moenssens; Short Tandem Repeat DNA Internet Database (NIST); Zeno's Forensic Page; Standardization of DNA Profiling Techniques in the European Union

Non sequitur

Lenny Bruce Feb98

Boswell on Johnson on Lawyering May98

Worst disasters

Naming big numbers ("billion", "trilliard"?) across time & space

Phonetic spelling words (Alpha Bravo Charlie ...)

The Oracle of Bacon at Virginia

Effects of Dilbert

Demographics

Orienteering

Magnetic declination computer

Top of page
Index Situs
Discussions
Non sequitur
Software
Bibliography

Visits