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DNA analysis identifies organisms by analyzing their genetic sequences. Forensic scientists use various techniques, such as PCR and RFLP, to identify individuals and determine paternity. DNA analysis is highly accurate and used for identifying suspects, victims, and animals, as well as determining genetic disease risk. Results can have significant consequences, such as imprisonment or release from a life sentence.
DNA analysis is an examination method that emerged in the 1980s and is credited to Alec Jeffreys, an English geneticist. Each species has unique genetic sequences. DNA analysis makes it possible to identify any type of organism by analyzing its genetic sequences. This method can also clarify issues of identification within a species.
Identifying within a species can present a greater challenge than determining between two different species. For example, it is much easier to determine whether a victim was attacked by a bear or a human than it is to determine which human perpetrated an attack. DNA analysis is usually done by forensic scientists. In cases where individuals need to be identified, forensic scientists tend to use a method of scanning 13 regions of the human genome.
If forensic scientists only scanned a few areas, the DNA analysis probably wouldn’t be considered very accurate. The chances of an identical match between two people when 13 regions are scanned is so slim that the results are sometimes called DNA fingerprinting. Like the imprint left by an index finger, DNA fingerprinting is generally considered conclusive and usually not subject to much scrutiny.
There are several techniques that can be used for DNA analysis. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was one of the earliest methods used in forensic investigations. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method that allows a forensic scientist to amplify a sample and make millions of copies of DNA from a relatively small sample.
One factor that determines the method a forensic scientist will employ is how large their specimen is. It doesn’t take a whole body to do a DNA analysis, and often a large sample size isn’t available. A hair, tooth, drop of blood, or skin cell usually contains enough unique information about a person to identify them when the correct technique is used.
The question that needs to be answered also determines the method used for DNA analysis. Every father passes his Y chromosome to his son. AY chromosome analysis can therefore be used in situations where establishing paternity is the issue.
Because DNA analysis is considered highly accurate, it is used in many parts of the world for many important reasons. Examples include the identification of individuals suspected of crime, the identification of victims or their remains when identification by other means is not possible, the determination of the risk of genetic diseases and the identification of animals in cases of suspected poaching . A person can spend his life in prison or be released from a life sentence based on the results of DNA analysis.
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