DNA Fingerprinting - Identification of the Future

 Part 1: Introduction 
DNA, the code of our lives, can now be extracted from animal cells and read like a personal ID card. This is a recent breakthrough that has been revolutionizing the scientific community. It's most commonly known as the main identification method in forensics, to find the truth of the locations of certain people at certain times. It has also been used in food identification, to find out if certain meats are actually pure meat of that type, or if something different is mixed in, and if the food is an endangered species. Also with animals, seeing the genetic code of certain species can determine whether the species are related or not. DNA testing has also cleared falsely convicted criminals of charges, and even saved falsely accused people from death row. DNA is also used to identify corpses if their teeth or fingerprints are compromised, or if only parts of the body remain. DNA testing is the light of truth where before there was none.
In this lab, we'll be comparing DNA samples to simulated criminals' DNA to find the perpetrator. This specific method is used in forensics, but slight variations of it apply to all the uses of DNA above.

  Part 2: Experiment
For the procedure, we'll have 6 tubes-- 1 of the "crime scene" DNA, and 1 for each of the 5 suspects. We'll add a restriction enzyme to each one to break apart the DNA at very specific places. We'll then put the tubes in a microcentrifuge to make sure the solution is mixed well. Then we'll put the tubes in a waterbath at 37C overnight. The next day, we'll place them in an ice block. Then we'll put the tubes in the microcentrifuge again to collect all the liquid at the bottom of the tube. Then we'll add loading dye to each tube so we can see approximately where the DNA is, and the dye also keeps the DNA sample in the wells of the gel. After putting in the dye we'll mix it in the microcentrifuge again. Then we put one sample in each lane of the agarose gel, which is inside the electrophoresis apparatus, and use a DNA size marker control for the first lane. Then we'll do the electrophoresis process. After that we'll take out the gel and put it in a staining tray, then put DNA stain in the tray (enough to cover the gel.) The next day, we'll look at the gel and record our results.

 Part 3: Discussion
 We found the perpetrator to be Katie, because the pattern made by her DNA matched the pattern of the crime scene DNA. One possible source of error could have been contamination, crossover of DNA solution in the gel, mislabeling a tube, or hearing another group's results.