Exercise 4 DNA Isolation Forensics Worksheet Name Date Lab Section 1 Sketch the patterns of DNA fragments that you observed on your gel Be sure to identify which sample is in each lane 2 Is there a match between any of the suspects and the DNA collected at the crime scene Based on this limited amount of information who do you think might have killed Jessica Do you have enough information to convict a suspect Why or why not Yes suspect number 3 s DNA matched the DNA that was collected at the crime scene Yes there is enough information to convict the suspect because the process of separating the DNA by isolation provides the ability to study and observe the differences between two different suspect s DNA Even though the DNA of closely related organisms are very similar to each other the genomes of the same species will still show small and significant differences This knowledge allows the conviction of the suspect due to the dependable conclusions that were reached by DNA separation and comparing the DNA between the crime scene s and the suspect s 3 DNA fingerprinting permits subtle differences between individuals to be identified at the genetic level Two applications that demonstrate how DNA fingerprinting is useful include paternity testing as well as forensic science Go to the following website and explore the DNA Criminal Justice link https koshland science museum org sites all exhibits exhibitdna index jsp How can the FBI CODIS system be used to identify or exonerate a suspect in a criminal case The FBI CODIS system stands for the Combined DNA Index System This system is used in specific states that have allowed the collection of two different types of DNA from individuals that have been arrested in that state Once DNA has been collected from a crime scene or from an individual suspect it is then tested and compared to the entire DNA that had been collected in the database The database would alert any matches between the DNA being tested to the DNA of an individual being used to identify unknown DNA and convict a suspect or to identify the known suspects DNA as the DNA from a crime scene