For news coverage of the forthcoming PCAST report, see this L.A. Times story:

“In what is likely to be its most controversial finding, the report states that analysis linking firearms to bullets and shell casings ‘falls short’ of scientific standards for admission as evidence. If judges permit such testimony, the report says, they should tell jurors that error rates by firearms examiners are higher than would be expected.

The report also calls into question DNA analysis of ‘complex’ mixtures of human fluid, such as those from puddles of blood from multiple people, saying such tests fail to meet rigorous scientific standards. It found that more straight-forward DNA and fingerprint comparisons met scientific standards, however.”

During the call announcing the report, Eric S. Lander, co-chair of the council, noted: “you can’t you can’t call a method valid and reliable unless you have tested.”