Modern Forensic Investigation Uses ________ to Identify Criminals

Question

Modern forensic investigation uses ________ to identify criminals.
A)cloning
B)RT-PCR
C)restriction fragment length polymorphism
D)single nucleotide polymorphism
E)short tandem repeats

Accepted Answer

Short tandem repeats (STRs) are used in modern forensic investigation to identify criminals. STRs are sequences of DNA that occur multiple times in a row at specific locations on a chromosome. These repeats are unique to each individual and can be used to identify a suspect or link a suspect to a crime scene. Other methods listed such as cloning, RT-PCR, restriction fragment length polymorphism, and single nucleotide polymorphism are used in other areas of biology, but not typically in forensic investigation.