The Implications of DNA Profiling Essay - 3166 Words

The Implications of DNA Profiling Former attorney General Janet Reno described our system of justice as a search for the truth.(1) Increasingly, the forensic use of DNA technology is an important ally in that search. DNA fingerprinting, better known in the scientific realm as DNA profiling, has given police and the courts a means of identifying the perpetrators of rapes and murders with a very high degree of confidence. However, nine years after its introduction, forensic DNA typing is still used only selectively. This is due to a variety of factors, including the unavailability of forensic typing to local prosecutors, the time required to perform the typing, and the costs of the tests if private laboratories are utilized. Formerly†¦show more content†¦Sometimes, this can be a difference of just one base pair. These differences are called polymorphisms and are the key to DNA typing.(3) There are many sources of DNA for testing. Blood is one of the key sources, though the surface on which a bloodstain is found can profoundly affect the ability to successfully perform an analysis. In addition, bloodstains may be mixtures of blood from two different people and can produce DNA profiles that are more complex than those from a single individual. Ironically, DNA profiling may be the only way to determine if a given stain is a mixture. Semen stains are the most common evidence to be submitted for DNA analysis, which is not surprising since the cases in which DNA testing has been used the most often are rapes. DNA can also be extracted from tissues (taken at autopsy), hair roots, saliva, and in rare instances, urine.(4) It is important to note that only a miniscule amount of DNA is needed for analysis. For example, the amount of DNA found at the root of one hair is usually sufficient. Environmental factors also play a role in determining whether a particular sample of DNA c an be utilized. Moisture, sunlight, bacterial action and heat are detrimental to the DNA. Depending on the intensity and combination of these conditions, survival of the DNA is measured in weeks or months. Even so, DNA in usable amounts canShow MoreRelatedMaintaining National Dna Database Case Study1120 Words   |  5 PagesMaintaining National DNA Databases: Struggle between Necessity and Ethic SNEHA SINGH1 1Advocate, Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India Email – ssnehassingh1989@gmail.com 1. INTRODUCTION DNA is an acronym, which stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. Every cell in an individual’s body, with the exception of red blood cells and eggs or sperm, contains the full genetic program for that individual in its DNA. The human genome, which consists of about 3 billion base pairs, harbours genetically relevantRead MoreDna Profiling2599 Words   |  11 PagesDNA profiling is a method of identifying an individual by unique characteristics of their DNA. 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