How is DNA technology used in forensics?

How is DNA technology used in forensics?

• A. Editing the genome of suspects
• B. Analyzing protein sequences
• C. DNA profiling to identify individuals via unique STR patterns
• D. Cloning victims

Answer: (C)

DNA profiling in forensics relies on analyzing patterns of short tandem repeats at multiple locations in the genome. These STRs differ in length among individuals, giving each person a unique combination across several loci (except identical twins). By extracting DNA from a crime scene and a reference sample, scientists amplify these STR regions and determine their sizes to build a DNA profile. The chance that two unrelated people share the same pattern across many STR loci is extremely small, so a match provides strong evidence that the samples come from the same person. This method is routinely used to identify suspects, link them to a scene, or exclude others, and it underpins much of modern forensic evidence. The other ideas don’t fit: genome editing would modify DNA rather than identify it; analyzing protein sequences isn’t the standard approach for identifying individuals in forensic contexts; cloning victims isn’t relevant to forensic identification.

DNA profiling in forensics relies on analyzing patterns of short tandem repeats at multiple locations in the genome. These STRs differ in length among individuals, giving each person a unique combination across several loci (except identical twins). By extracting DNA from a crime scene and a reference sample, scientists amplify these STR regions and determine their sizes to build a DNA profile. The chance that two unrelated people share the same pattern across many STR loci is extremely small, so a match provides strong evidence that the samples come from the same person. This method is routinely used to identify suspects, link them to a scene, or exclude others, and it underpins much of modern forensic evidence. The other ideas don’t fit: genome editing would modify DNA rather than identify it; analyzing protein sequences isn’t the standard approach for identifying individuals in forensic contexts; cloning victims isn’t relevant to forensic identification.