By Christine Buck,

February 10, 2007, 11:13 AM CST

We can't reveal the location of this DNA forensic lab because they handle murder, infidelity and paternity cases. We visited Genetic Technologies in Missouri almost a decade ago. WATCH

Jami Harman says since then, there have been changes she never could of predicted. "The advances in DNA technology have been phenomenal."

The lab has added thousands of square footage and hundreds of thousands of dollars of sophisticated equipment.

What used to be thought of as far off in the future is routine today. Scientists can now take a minute amount of DNA and make millions of copies.

In some cases, results that used to take months can now be done in a day. "It took us eight weeks or longer to get results from a single sample. Now with a mouth swab it takes 24 hours to give us answers," added Harman.

Scientist Stephanie Beine, who's been working in crime labs for ten years, says she's still amazed she was able to extract DNA from skeletal remains that were seventeen years old and water logged. "We extracted the genetic profile from the bone sample, and we're able to resolve the case." It took Beine two years to close that case. Unlike the Hollywood version of what goes on in a crime lab, often it takes repeated attempts to extract forensic DNA.

One thing that hasn't changed over the years and never will is the attention to detail. Tables are bleached in between procedures, and sometimes scientists wear two layers of gloves and alarms go off if there are temperature variations in any of the labs. And to avoid cross contamination when you leave this room, you walk on a sticky mat to avoid cross contamination.

Harman believes in the not too distant future it will be possible to get DNA on the spot at a crime scene. Harman adds there's still work that can only be done inside a lab by humans or robots.

Copyright © 2007, KPLR