Of Greek demons and DNA fingerprinting
A chimera is a greek demon that is part lion, part goat and part serpent. Why any mythical creature should possess the combined attributes of these three vertebrates is beyond me. However, a good thing did come out of the legend of the chimera. Geneticists found a perfect name for organisms which are a mixture of two or more genetically distinct types of cells. Most of us are non-chimeric. Almost all the cells in my body have identical genes. However, certain abnormal births can give rise to chimeric individuals. One way to achieve mixing of cells is to combine two separate zygotes into one. Imagine a womb with recently conceived twins. If these combine at an early stage, it makes a baby that is whole, seemingly normal, but chimeric. It is possible that certain tissues, say the liver cells, belong to twin 1 and certain others like blood cells belong to twin 2. This means, a chimera is actually two individuals living in one body. Yes, this happens.
Now, imagine that a chimera commits a murder. He is the prime suspect in the murder investigation. The CSI team has found some hair that belongs to the perp (yes, i use their lingo now). They hope the DNA evidence will clinch the deal, sending the perp away for a few decades. To their surprise, the DNA that they collected from the perps blood is completely different from the DNA from the hair. Our perp walks out free, and the law can not do a thing.
Is this a perfect crime?
