Nearly everyone knows that DNA Fingerprinting can be used to prove a
person's connection to a crime. Few realize the other applications
of DNA fingerprinting.
Establishing Innocence
DNA Fingerprinting can help to speed along court cases by eliminating
suspects. Between 1989 and 1996, the FBI used genetic testing in
about 10,000 sexual assault cases; in 2,000 of those cases, the prime
suspect was discovered to have not committed the crime. Without
genetic testing, it can be assumed that some of these men would have been
convicted. In fact, many prison inmates have appealed their
conviction after spending years in jail, and have been discovered to be
innocent.
Identification
As a result of the unidentified remains of American soldiers that have
been found abroad, the U.S. military has been compiling data from mitochondrial
DNA to help identify the soldiers. Mitochondrial DNA is
passed on by the mother only, and as a result, remains mostly identical
within families. By testing DNA from the bones of the remains of
soldiers against the military's database, scientists have identified 500
soldiers so far, and another 250 more are under study. |