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What is DNA fingerprinting?

DNA, which stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, is genetic material present in the nucleus of every cell and is what determines individual characteristics such as eye color, hair color, and height. DNA fingerprinting, also called genetic fingerprinting or restriction mapping, is a method of characterizing an individual's DNA. Formulated by British geneticist Alec Jeffreys, the existence of a DNA fingerprint is based on the assumption that every person (except identical twins) has a unique sequence of DNA.

DNA fingerprinting has many uses, among them, determining an individual's identity, confirming familial relationships, and establishing the range of genetic differences within a population. In criminal investigations, hair, blood, and skin samples left by a criminal can yield a DNA fingerprint, which may be matched to a suspect's DNA fingerprint.

Within the DNA molecule, which resembles...

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1. Terms And Classification
   1. What is the origin of the field of biology?
   2. How are animals and plants classified into groups and who began trie practice?
   3. What are the five kingdoms presently used to categorize living things?
   4. How many different organisms have been identified by biologists?
2. Evolution
   1. Which biological events occurred during the geologic time divisions?
   2. What is radiocarbondating?
   3. What is the significance of On the Origin of Species?
   4. How did humans evolve?
   5. When was the Scopes (monkey) trial?
   6. What is Batesian mimicry?
   7. What is a biological clock?
3. Genetics
   1. Who is generally known as the founder of genetics?
   2. What is the difference between DNA and RNA?
   3. What are the stages in the type of cell division called mitosis?
   4. What is genetic engineering?
   5. What organism has the largest number of chromosomes?
   6. Can human beings be cloned?
   7. Do all cells have a nucleus?
   8. What is DNA fingerprinting?
   9. How much DNA is in a typical human cell?
4. Bacteria, Viruses, And Fungi
   1. Who were the founders of modern bacteriology?
   2. Are there stone-eating bacteria?
   3. What is a virus and how does a vaccination work?
   4. What is the scientific study of fungi called?
   5. What is a lichen?