subject: What Is the DNA Fingerprinting Analysis Process? [print this page] What Is the DNA Fingerprinting Analysis Process?
Deoxyribonucleic acid, otherwise known as DNA, is present in the tissue, saliva, blood, hair, and other parts of a person's body. Each person has an individual makeup, which makes it easy to identify a person based on his or her DNA. You should know that the DNA fingerprinting analysis process does not actually have anything to do with a person's fingerprints. Rather, it is a test of their genetic makeup, the things that make them unique and like no other person on the planet. The results of these tests are useful for a variety of purposes, from solving crimes to determining the father of a child.
When someone takes one of these tests, he or she is asked to provide a sample of DNA. Often this is in the form of saliva. However, the DNA can be taken in other ways as well, including through blood samples. The company that processes and tests the genetic material will then be able to make a determination of the identity of the individual in question. When it comes to crimes, law enforcement is building a DNA database of criminals, which will help to match perpetrators to crime scenes. In regards to paternity issues, the tests are able to determine with certainty that father of the child.
Several different methods of DNA fingerprinting are currently in use, including RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism), PCR (polymerase chain reaction), AmpFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism), and STR (short tandem repeat). They are used in different circumstances. Some require smaller amounts of DNA than the others do.
You can find a number of places that will offer this kind of analysis for you. It is valuable in many circumstances, but you need to make sure that you are ready for the analysis process, especially when it comes to determining the paternity of a child. Always make sure that you have the best interests of the child at heart.
Science can do some amazing things and you will find that as the years go forward, this kind of testing will become even more commonplace. This should be very good news for law enforcement officials as well as those who need to find their families.
