Biotechnology

Unit 3 IP - DNA Profiling Name: Institution: Course Name: Instructor: Due Date: Unit 3 IP - DNA Profiling Question one DNA profiling refers to the process in which specific patterns of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), a profile, are acquired from a person’s sample of bodily tissue (Kumar, 2023). DNA profiling has numerous uses in forensic investigation as it is essential in finding the suspect and performing a paternity test to compare the DNA of the offspring and their suspected parents. In forensic investigation, for example, DNA profiling is essential in determining the source of a body fluid sample implicated in a crime or at a crime scene. In revealing family relationships, DNA profiling was a significant tool for ESR scientists, and they used it to identify the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami in Thailand (Kumar, 2023). As much as DNA profiling has proved to be substantial, it faces various limitations. The National Institute of Justice developed a report in 2023 that provided awareness of the weaknesses of DNA evidence. The report released by NIJ argued that environmental factors, including sunlight, heat, bacteria, and mold, can destroy DNA evidence, making it inadmissible in a court of law (National Institute of Justice, 2023). In addition, the institution revealed that identical twins share a common DNA profile, which may not be substantial in such cases. Moreover, the DNA of close relatives was also found to be more similar to that of unrelated people. Lastly, the DNA profile could not explain when the suspect was at the crime scene. Question Two Creating a DNA profile involves four significant phases. The first step is collecting the sample and extracting DNA from the sample. In the first step, scientists extract a minute amount of DNA (approximately 100 micrograms) (Bukyya et al., 2021). This sample is used to construct a DNA profile from a crime scene. Quantification is the second step in which telltale regions are amplified. In this stage, the scientists use Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to amplify the telltale sample into millions of copies. These samples serve as the home of Short Tandem Repeats (STRs). In criminal investigations, 13 STR regions are examined based on the number of repeated units within these STRs in the non-coding DNA between genes (Bukyya et al., 2021). The repeats are then counted in the third step. All the STR copies made in the PCR are labeled with the fluor...