DNA Fingerprinting

Learning Intentions

We are Learning to... understand DNA and what it does in our body

So that we can.. see how DNA is used in Genetic fingerprinting

We will be able to... Complete our model DNA

What is DNA Fingerprinting?

DNA fingerprinting is a method used to identify an individual from a sample of DNA by looking at unique patterns in their DNA.

Just like your actual fingerprint, your DNA fingerprint is something you are born with, it is unique to you.
DNA fingerprinting was invented in 1984 by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys after he realised you could detect variations in human DNA, in the form of these minisatellites.
DNA fingerprinting is a technique that simultaneously detects lots of minisatellites in the genome to produce a pattern unique to an individual. This is a DNA fingerprint.

But what is DNA??

DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is a long molecule that contains our unique genetic code that can be found in the nucleus of every cell in our body. Like a recipe book, it holds the instructions for making all the proteins in our bodies.

The complete set of your compounds is known as a GENOME. More than 99.9 % of everyone’s genome is exactly alike (100% if you are identical twins). But the tiny bit that’s not is what makes you physically and mentally different from someone else
Each genome contains all of the information needed to build that organism and allow it to grow and develop. Our genome is approximately 3,000,000,000 base pairs long and is packaged into 23 pairs of chromosomes
DNA contains four basic building blocks or bases: Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G), and Thymine (T).
The order, or sequence, of these bases form the instructions in the genome.
DNA is a two-stranded molecule.
DNA has a unique ‘double helix’ shape, like a twisted ladder.