Gone but not forgotten....

There is now another way to remember your loved ones when they are gone - a comprehensive DNA profile.

American forensic DNA testing firm Orchid Cellmark will provide the new 'Heritage ID' service, by which family and friends of the deceased receive a DNA sample preserved in a 'Heritage Card'. The sample (obtained through a cheek swab) can thereafter be used for genealogical, medical and legal applications, and the service will be offered as part of routine funeral preparations.

With 2.4m deaths a year in the US managed by 22,000 funeral homes, America's perennially dependable industry is having to adapt to new technological services and demands from its many clients: 'I believe identity verification through DNA analysis will increasingly become a valuable part of funeral arrangements', said one industry insider.

And if the Heritage ID product line does not seem to represent good value for money - the service will certainly cost well over US$525, the company's standard price for a paternity DNA test - Orchid spare no expense, opulently housing the card in 'a handsome and protective Lucite folder suitable for display or storage'.

After sensationalist chat shows have established DNA tests as a lurid constituent of American popular culture, one wonders how long it will be before Jerry Springer et al are settling family issues with DNA tests from beyond the grave..