The Pros And Cons Of DNA Fingerprinting

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Introduction and background information DNA fingerprinting is a technique of testing to identify and evaluate the genetic information taken from an organism. It involves the use of DNA to create a fingerprint that is unique in every organism. In case of human use it has many benefits. DNA fingerprinting can solve crimes, identify one person from another, be used for paternity testing and even, when done early, reveal a person’s risk of disease in the future. However, there are also many negatives of DNA fingerprinting. The main negatives involve issues such as privacy concerns and whether the information contained in the DNA should be available to others. For example, people may be affected at a later stage such as when applying for insurance …show more content…

The nucleus is isolated from the cell using detergents and the DNA is extracted from the nucleus. The DNA sample is artificially replicated using Polymerase Chain Reaction to gain a good testing amount. The DNA is placed in a test-tube and heated to separate the double helix strands. Then free DNA nucleotides and DNA polymerase are added to the same test-tube. After the DNA solution in the test-tube is cooled to allow the nucleotides to bond to exposed bases. The next step is Gel Electrophorese, which separates the DNA fragments according to size. Restriction enzyme is used to cut the DNA strand into fragments, this is because the enzymes are able to recognise specific base sequences and cut the DNA. Then the fragments are placed in electrophoretic gel and electric charge is applied. The fragments are separated due to DNA containing negative charge therefore moving towards positive charged end of the electrophorese gel. In this method the larger DNA fragments have difficulty moving across due to the size of the holes in the gel and smaller fragments move faster and further thus creating a pattern. This pattern is unique to each and every individual DNA. This method is called DNA fingerprinting which is unique and precise therefore it is used for identification purposes and detecting of genetic diseases (Magar, …show more content…

DNA samples from hair, blood, skin cells etc. found at the scene of a crime can be manipulated and DNA fingerprints produced. These can be linked to that of a supposed criminal, through a database, providing scientific evidence, which can be used in courtrooms in order to help determine the guilt (Brendan McGuigan, 2015). The other main benefit is that it is used for linking paternal relationships. The DNA is inherited from the offspring’s parents, half from mother and the other half from father. DNA fingerprinting can be used in legal cases involving adoption and parenthood issues to solve the rightful parent (Lovekar, 2011). Another benefit that DNA fingerprinting brings is personal identification. It could be used in identifying bodies, which are unidentifiable due to a natural disaster or battle. If a DNA database was formed, a DNA fingerprint could be created and then the body identified through comparison on the database (Thomas Menino,

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