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Historical Bibliography Updated: June 16, 2026

The double helix and the law of evidence.

Publication Details

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2010 CE.

"... Kaye weaves together molecular biology, population genetics, the legal rules of evidence, and theories of statistical reasoning as he describes the struggles between prosecutors and defense counsel over the admissibility of genetic proof of identity. Combining scientific exposition with stories of criminal investigations, scientific and legal hubris, and distortions on all sides, Kaye shows how the adversary system exacerbated divisions among scientists, how lawyers and experts obfuscated some issues and clarified others, how probability and statistics were manipulated and misunderstood, and how the need to convince lay judges influenced the scientific research. Looking to the future, Kaye uses probability theory to clarify legal concepts of relevance and probative value, and describes alternatives to race-based DNA profile frequencies..." (publisher).

Browse Tags

Catalog MetadataReference Information
Entry Number#13735
Permanent Linkhttps://staging.historyofmedicine.com/entry/16019
External URLthe-double-helix-and-the-law-of-evidence

Geographic Context

Publication place: Cambridge, MA