DNA Fingerprinting Uses

ANTHROPOLOGY

Did you know that scientists use DNA typing to piece together fragments the Dead Sea Scrolls so that they can determine how the scrolls were constructed? With DNA typing they can separate scrolls that were written on sheepskin versus those on goatskin. It is believed that some of the scrolls were actually copies of the original. With this method, they can actually put the pieces of the original scrolls back together in one piece.

DNA fingerprinting uses also include determining the degree relationships with human fossils that come from different locations and geologic eras around the world. Their findings tell us a great deal about how humans and how the earth evolved.

Did you know that it's also being used to identify the remains of Czar Nicholas Romanov II of Russia and his family? They were executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918., and to comparing the samples with living relatives, the czar was identified. By using these findings, scientists also disprooved a woman's claim to being the Russian grand duchess Anastasia.

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

Recently, experts tried to solve the mystery of a group of mexican loggerhead turtles. Loggerhead turtles are known to nest in Japan and Australia not in Mexico, so it was very confusing to the experts as to why they were there. Biologists knew for sure that the young loggerheads didn't have the strength to swim 10,000 miles from Japan to Mexico. So how did it happen then? Using DNA profiling, however, the experts found out that the baby turtles were really born in Australia and Japan, but were carried to Mexico by the ocean ocean currents. They swim back home when they're ready to breed with other turtles. Pretty cool huh?

FORENSICS

This is biggest field for dna fingerprinting uses. Investigators use it to find out who committed crimes when the suspects are not caught, and also to identify the bones or clothing of victims. You can read more about this under dna fingerprinting applications to the menu on the left.