Dazzling new police technology to predict hair colour, gender without DNA match

Federal police could soon use new technology which could predict a culprit's gender, and other personal traits without a DNA match.

Australian investigators are set to employ breakthrough technology which could predict a culprit's gender, eye colour and other personal traits even without a DNA match.

The Australian Federal Police will look to employ the new technology known as Massive Parallel Sequencing, which is used to predict the genetic traits of a person based on a sample of their DNA left at a crime scene.

It would allow investigators to uncover leads despite the person's DNA not being on their database.

The agency says it could be used to predict someone's gender, ancestry and eye colour - a powerful tool when attempting to sift through potential suspects.

It may sound like something from the world of television crime dramas or science fiction, but the technology could soon even be used to predict a perpetrator's hair colour.

The Australian Federal Police will use a new technology that opens a new world of forensic DNA testing. Picture: AFP

It is currently going through testing and assessment to ensure its accuracy before it will be rolled out by investigators in the field.

And the AFP says it could be used in missing person cases or when unidentified human remains are uncovered.

The agency said MPS was different from current DNA profiling technologies because it examined the nucleotide base sequence.

“Over the next decade our team will be looking to widen prediction capabilities to include traits such as age, body mass index and height,” Dr Paul Roffey, the lead scientist on the project, said.

“We will also be seeking opportunities to provide fine detail predictions for facial metrics such as distance between the eyes, eye, nose and ear shape, lip fullness, and cheek structure.”