Chapter 13, Problem 32A

Summary Introduction

To draw:

A flowchart to explain the steps of determining the identity of the person whose hair is obtained from crime scene.

Introduction:

Genetic engineering is the technology used to directly manipulate the gene of an organism. It is also termed as genetic modification and genetic manipulation. This biotechnology is used in medicinal field at large scale. In the field of forensics, genetic engineering is used at a very wide scale.

Explanation of Solution

When a hair is obtained from the crime scene, then forensic scientists use that for DNA fingerprinting. PCR is used to amplify the amount of DNA obtained from that hair strand. Then, the amplified DNA is cut by restriction enzymes to form its small fragments. These small fragments then run in agarose gel during gel electrophoresis. Then, these fragments are compared with the fragments of victim and suspects of criminal case. If two DNA fragments match with high probability, then the chances are that they are of same person.