DNA phenotyping
noun
: the process of predicting an organism's phenotype based on analysis of a DNA sample
especially
: the process of predicting an unknown person's physical appearance and especially facial characteristics (such as eye, skin, or hair color) for forensic purposes (such as to identify criminal suspects or human remains)
While DNA phenotyping by Parabon NanoLabs resulted in a rough sketch of a potential suspect, no tips resulted from the composite. —
Jerry Falstrom
Jerry Falstrom Examples of DNA phenotyping in a Sentence
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In 2012, the company received a grant from the US Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency to explore DNA phenotyping, predicting a person's appearance based only on their DNA.
—Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED, 22 Jan. 2024
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Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED, 22 Jan. 2024
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“DNA phenotyping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/DNA%20phenotyping. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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