Download DNA Fingerprinting

I. What is DNA
A. It’s a long chemical
molecule
B. The instructions for
making you.
C. Contained in all of
your cells
D. No two people have exactly the same
DNA
E. Although related people will have
similar DNA
F. The more closely they are related, the
closer their DNA will be
II. How is it used to solve crimes?
A. Everywhere you go, you shed cells
B. At crime scenes, investigators can look
for them
1. skin
2. hair
3. blood
4. any body fluids
C. Once it’s been collected, it can be
compared against
1. samples from the suspect
2. a DNA database
D. If a match is found, the suspect was at
the crime scene
E. In many cases, the lack of a match has
been used to exonerate people
convicted of a crime
III. Why isn’t it used in all cases?
A. Sometimes no DNA is found at the
scene
B. Suspects are starting to take steps
to prevent leaving any
C. DNA can be washed away or
contaminated
D. There is a massive backlog of DNA
evidence waiting to be analyzed