New move to ID fallen

CUTTING-EDGE science being developed in Queensland could help solve some of Australia’s most enduring military mysteries, in a project involving the bones of fallen Diggers and advanced DNA technology.

Tens of thousands of soldiers who died in overseas conflicts remain officially unknown, with the Army’s unrecovered war casualties team continuously undertaking arduous investigations to identify those that fought for Australia.

Now a group of Queensland University of Technology researchers hope to speed up the process through the use of next-generation DNA sequencing technology and oldschool forensic methods.

The research by QUT, led by genomics expert Distinguished Professor Lyn Griffiths, will expand to take in genomic DNA using technology usually used to identify disease-carrying genes in order to gather more pieces of the Diggers’ genetic puzzle.