Mitochondrial DNA Profiling is Primarily Used to Differentiate_______

Question

Mitochondrial DNA profiling is primarily used to differentiate_______ .
A)mothers from daughters
B)siblings
C)unrelated individuals
D)mothers and sons

Accepted Answer

Mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother, so it remains relatively unchanged from generation to generation. This makes it useful for differentiating unrelated individuals, but not as useful for differentiating between close relatives such as siblings or mothers and their children.