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A man from Arizona was convicted of murder last month, thanks to strands of
DNA extracted from two seed pods. Mark Bogan was accused of murdering a
prostitute, then dumping her body at a deserted factory. Pods from a palo
verde tree – a species growing at the murder site – were found in Bogan’s
truck. Tim Helentjaris, plant geneticist at the University of Arizona,
testified that DNA from the pods perfectly matched DNA from one of the trees
(This Week, 29 May).

Bogan claimed he had never visited the murder site. ‘I don’t think we would
have gone to trial without the palo verde pods,’ says deputy county attorney
Bill Clayton. ‘We were looking for something that could put Bogan at the
scene of the crime and destroy his case.’