There has recently been an advance in the use of DNA in catching criminals in the UK, it is an extremly acurate technique.  Scientist claimed around two years ago that only a single cell is needed from the scene of a crime when scientists discovered this no one really believed it would actually work.  Scientists now claim that the give away evidence can be found in a strand of hair, a single sperm cell, or even a smuged fingerprint.

 

Scientists have already identifed many people using this technique using one of the cells out of the 1,000 billion cells that make up a human.  Humans shed body material all the time, in blood, sweat and dead skin.  Forensic sceintists can find cells by using a dye that shows up when it comes in to contact with biological material. A single stand of DNA (the genetic make up of a human organism) can be extracted from this, within hours they can amplify this strand untill they have enough information to produce a DNA fingerprint.

 

The technique can identify the persons gender, the chances of two people producing the same genetic fingerprint are 100 million to one.  This technique does not only have to be used in identifying criminals but also in the detection of Cystic Fibrosis and Down’s Syndrome.

 

This technique is extremly effective in detecting animals and diseases.  It is very effective in catching criminals involved in rape causes, theaft and even murders.

 

 

By Hayley Bell