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In early forensic applications of DNA fingerprinting, DNA was extracted from cri

ID: 14054 • Letter: I

Question

In early forensic applications of DNA fingerprinting, DNA was extracted from crime scene material, digested with restriction enzymes, and then used to prepare a Southern blot. Today, PCR is used in the early steps of forensic DNA analysis. What advantage does PCR provide over the former method?
A. PCR requires much less DNA for analysis.
B.PCR produces many more bands for fingerprint analysis, making it a more informative technique.
C.PCR can analyze DNA, proteins, and carbohydrates, whereas restriction enzyme analysis is limited to DNA.
D. PCR can cut DNA at many more sites than can restriction enzymes.

Explanation / Answer

It's A. PCR amplifies the amount of DNA in a sample, making samples with little DNA useable.