The Forensic DNA Revolution
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Posted by Karen Lotter Dec 14, 2007 |
Double Helix of DNA
Well I guess a lot of stuff begins with DNA, like humans. After all like architects’ plans are drawn for every house or building, our DNA is the blueprint for who we are and what we look like.
Many call the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA by Jim Watson and Francis Crick in 1953 - an achievement that led to their Nobel Prize in 1962, -the biggest scientific discovery of all time.
Forensic Profiling
Forensic DNA is usually used for Forensic profiling of fingerprinting. Any type of organism can be identified by examination of DNA sequences unique to that species. To identify individuals, forensic scientists scan 13 DNA regions to create a DNA profile of that individual (sometimes called a DNA fingerprint). There is an extremely small chance that another person has the same DNA profile for a particular set of regions.
Forensic DNA - More Uses than Crime Scenes
But Forensic DNA isn’t only used to identify criminals as seen on TV shows like CSI and Bones , it has many other uses like:
- the identification of victims of accidents or catastrophes
- establishing paternity and other familial relationships
- identifying endangered and protected species as an aid to wildlife conservationists
- detecting bacteria and other organisms that could pollute food, air, oil and water
- matching donor organs for transplantation
- determining pedigree for seed or livestock breeds, and
- authenticating consumables like wine and caviar.
Because Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA is in every cell of every organism, crime scene investigation has been markedly changed - some would say revolutionized. And because we're all fascinated with DNA , TV shows like CSI and Bones have become chart toppers.
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