How would you decode DNA and use in forensics?

Question

How would you decode DNA and use in forensics?

Answer 1

I wasn't quite sure about this at first, but I googled it and found this quite useful animated demonstration:

http://www.msnbc.com/modules/Genome_map/

It appears that with the most popular method, they unzip the piece of DNA choose one of them and then replicate that. Then they get some known DNA strands (where they know what the bases are (A/C/T/G)) and allow them to bond with the unknown half of the DNA strand.

Since A binds to T and C binds to G, they can simply observe how the known strand bonds to the unknown strand, and find out by the way in which the bonding occurs.

So in forensics, I'm guessing that they have a database of DNA, they will probably keep only a certain part of the DNA on record, and simply compare that part with the same part on the DNA that is in question.

Then a computer can simply search the database (lightning fast) and find a match, its probably impossible for two people to have the same DNA on the recorded part or extremely unlikely, so its quite a reliable system.

Answer 2

You don't need "decode" DNA for most cases. If you are really interesting in DNA technics application in forensic analysis look information here: http://protist.biology.washington.edu/fi...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_fin...