DNA

2 Pages 617 Words

DNA In this report I will discuss the topic DNA and
Forensics. This is an interesting topic because there have
been great advances in the field of forensic science that
have affected it's credibility and usage in solving crimes
that would otherwise go unsolved. DNA can be found in
almost any bodily fluid (semen, saliva, blood, etc.) and in
less obvious places such as a strand of hair. It has become
a crucial part of investigating crimes, and will continue to
develop this way.
DNA first came into use for forensic science in 1986.
It was used by a scientist by the name of Alec Jeffrey and
his colleagues from Leicester University. He was contacted
by authorities to verify the confessions by a seventeen year
old porter regarding a double rape-murder case. As it turns
out, this boy proved to be "the first murderer to be cleared
as a result of DNA fingerprinting".(Nickell and Fischer,
1998)
DNA can be found in such things as blood and semen. It
can also be found in such things as tissue found beneath the
fingernails of a victim after a struggle, it can even be
found in saliva cells left on a mouthpiece of a telephone
after a conversation. DNA is everywhere in a persons body,
and can not be replicated. It is unique to every person,
but all blood relatives have similar qualities that make
them identifiable. (Saferstein, 1987)
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, and it basically
looks like a twisted ladder, or a double helix with rungs or
base pairs. Guanine (G), Adenine (A), Thymine (T), and
Cytosine (C) are the four bases that make up the base pairs.
The bases don't just pair with any other bases, there are
certain predictable combinations: A with T and G with C, and
these are true to any DNA. The human body contains in
excess of three billion base pairs, only a few of these are
what attract forensic attention. (http://www.ornl.gov)
The first of the two procedures I will discuss is
restric...