Written by: Gilbert Jang (12th grade / Chantilly, VA USA)
Editor: Noelle A. Koo (12th grade / Ashburn, VA USA)
Short excerpt from paper (under "Publications" tab):
What is the purpose of DNA fingerprinting?
The purpose of DNA fingerprinting is to isolate and identify variable elements within the base-pair sequence of DNA. It is mostly used to help solve crime cases where it can be used as evidence in court which determines whether or not the suspect is guilty. When a detective arrives at a crime scene, they look for anything that the suspect might have touched or any sample of cells from the suspect’s body and use a cotton swab or a tweezer to collect the DNA from the suspect. Then, they bring the DNA sample to the lab where the scientist uses chemicals to separate strands of DNA to reveal the unique parts of the suspect’s genome. After figuring out the DNA profile, the detectives would have the ability to connect that evidence to rule out someone as a suspect. Therefore, DNA fingerprinting is extremely accurate, and in many countries, they keep copies of fingerprints to identify if an individual had done any crime or is related to any crime (Lander 1991).
Further explore the process of DNA fingerprinting through the informative paper posted under the "Publications" tab of the website.
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