Michael BeirneMrs. ParksHonors BiologyApril 11, 2014DNA Fingerprinting and PCRDNA fingerprinting, or sometimes known as DNA typing, involves isolating and developing images of DNA sequences to evaluate the DNA in an individual's cells. Today DNA fingerprinting is used for many different things in many different areas of science. In forensic science, DNA typing can determine which person committed a certain crime using blood or skin left at the crime scene. In medical science, patients can find out who their siblings, parents or children are using DNA fingerprinting (webmd). It was in 1984 when Alec Jeffreys, a British geneticist, discovered that specific DNA sequences did not add to the function of a gene but were still constant in it. (British). Jeffreys called these minisatellites and determined that each individual organism had a unique arrangement of minisatellites (Britannica). In the early uses of DNA fingerprinting, it was only used to identify genetic diseases and disorders, but people soon realized that it could be used in many different scientific areas (hubpage). Years after DNA fingerprinting was discovered, it was used to solve the first immigration case, the first paternity case and even helped identify the first identical twins (le.ac.uk). Early DNA fingerprinting methods were accurate, but you would have to acquire a large amount of DNA. Over time, the advancement of science has led to great advances that have formed the basis of DNA profiling techniques. These newer methods are still used today and allow scientists to use skin, blood, sperm and hair to collect DNA (le.ac.uk). In 1988 DNA fingerprinting was used for the first time in a criminal investigation. Timothy Spe...... half of the article ...... conducted research showing that as many as 4% of DNA matches in forensic labs were incorrect (legal dictionary). Genetic mapping is currently used to identify genes that may put people at risk of disease and help develop new drugs. Scientists hope to use genetic mapping to lead to the advancement of medicine, the treatment of diseases, and its aid in disease prevention. Genetic mapping was the initial step of the Human Genome Project. The Human Genome Project has identified thousands of DNA sequences and identified important standards that they called landmarks. Scientists use these landmarks to tell them where each piece of DNA comes from. These maps would be used to identify diseased genes, diseases or abnormal genes (genome.gov). Two types of genetic maps are constructed: linkage mapping and physical mapping.