Solve this crime right meow

Curious as they are, cats possess a talent for getting themselves into situations they have no business being in. And while this behavior often lands them in trouble with their owners, it could also prove useful to detectives trying to solve a case, per a new peer-reviewed study.

🧬 Background: In recent years, technology has become so sophisticated that even the most minute traces of DNA can be relevant for a crime scene investigation – and humans tend to leave little pieces of themselves everywhere. Tl;dr: Even brief contact with an object or person can transfer genetic material.

🐈 That brings us to last month… when, in a first-of-its-kind study, scientists at Flinders University in Australia examined how human DNA is transferred to – and remains on – household pets. Their research focused specifically on cats, with a separate ongoing study analyzing dogs as well.

• After studying samples from 20 different pet cats across 15 households, the researchers found human DNA on 80% of them. Of that data, 70% could be linked to a person of interest.

📝 Bottom line: Per the scientists, a cat's fur can retain enough DNA shed by someone nearby to serve as evidence of a fleeting meeting between the two, but further research is needed to improve the process before it can be used in the real world.