DNA Fingerprinting

Question 1

STR

Answer 1

short tandem repeats

Question 2

Process of DNA Fingerprinting

Answer 2

1. DNA fragments containing STR regions amplified (creating huge numbers of fragments)
2. fragments separated by size using electrophoresis
3. STR region is stained to become visible on gel (each allele travel diff speed/dis due to its length)

Question 3

Reasonable criticism of using DNA fingerprinting in court cases

Answer 3

• acidental and deliberate contamination
• number of STR to compare
• how likely is a match
• privacy issue with DNA databases (who should have access?)