Lost in the Wave

摘要

In the wake of the massive tsunami last December that slammed into shores on Thailand and other parts of southern Asia, killing more than 200,000 people, scientists face a disturbing test of the effectiveness of DNA technology in identifying bodies. In Thailand, for example, where about 6,000 bodies were recovered, officials set out immediately to use DNA matching. Yet only a small fraction of the victims have been identified that way. The experience stands in sharp contrast to previous efforts using DNA after mass casualties. It also presages what workers will confront in identifying the dead in hurricane Katrina's aftermath.