How U.S. Investigators Identify Korean War Dead using DNA, Corn, and Water
In late July, North Korea handed over 55 sets of human remains thought to be missing U.S. servicemen from the Korean War. Now, forensic scientists are analyzing the remains, collecting DNA and isotope samples in an attempt to match the remains with Americans missing in action.
The Korean War, pitting U.S.-led United Nations forces against those of China and North Korea, lasted from 1950 to 1953 and killed 36,914 American troops. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), the war left more than 7,800 Americans missing in action and presumed dead. The DPAA maintains up-to-date lists of the missing on its web site here.
It’s been known for years that North Korea is sitting on the remains of US and UN soldiers. The regime considers them useful propaganda tools--returning the remains makes the regime look good and can be used to reward the former UN combatant countries. Pyongyang often doesn’t know whose remains it holds, and sometimes it doesn’t even return human remains at all, as in 2011 when the remains of a British pilot actually turned out to be animal bones.
In many cases, determining the identity of remains is a painstaking process. As described in this article by Military Times, DPAA takes the remains to its laboratory in Hawaii and uses several methods to attempt to learn the identity. In the case of bones or bone fragments, technicians can draw DNA samples from the bones and check for the presence of mitochondrial DNA or nuclear DNA. Recovered DNA data can be cross-checked against a database of living descendants and relatives of the missing to look for a match.
Another means of IDing the deceased is through looking for telltale nuclear isotopes in the remains. The American diet is uniquely heavy on corn, with Americans ingesting everything from corn bread to tortillas and corn syrup, and the isotope signatures left behind by corn signatures is evidence that remains could be American. Different water supplies worldwide also have their own radioactive signatures and help geolocate where a person may have spent part of their lifetime.
Source: Military Times
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