百日冲刺阅读理解（一）B

Crime fighters could have a new tool at hand. Researchers have developed a cutting-edge technique to identify human hair. Their test is quicker than DNA analysis techniques currently used by law enforcement. DNA testing is commonly used for identification because DNA is unique to each individual. However, environmental and chemical processes can degrade DNA, limiting its usefulness over time. Protein (蛋白质)in hair，on the other hand, is more stable than DNA but can also have variations (变异体）that may be unique to the individual. “Our analysis process can be used universally,” says Ms. Huang. “One of our samples (样本) even included dyed hair and the test was 100 per cent accurate. The test was able to distinguish East Asians, Caucasians and South Asians.” Dr. Beauchemin says she has got in touch with law enforcement agencies about using the new technology. She is also planning to collect more hair samples and continue her research with a goal of finding where exactly in the world hair sample is from, to look for more races and determine specific age. “We are in a very similar place with protein-based identification to where DNA testing was during the early days of development,” said chemist Brad Hart. “Thus method will be a game-hanger, and while we’ve made a lot of progress toward improving it, there are steps to go before this new technique is able to reach its full potential.”