DNA Profiling
Definition
Analysis of specific regions of an individual's DNA to generate a profile that, with high statistical probability, uniquely identifies that person. Developed by Alec Jeffreys in 1984 and first used in court in 1986.
Related terms
- Anthropometry
- The measurement of the human body for scientific purposes. In forensic history, the Bertillon system of criminal anthropometry used eleven standardised body...
- Criminalistics
- The application of scientific methods, especially physical and chemical analysis, to detect crime and identify criminals. The term was systematised by Hans...
- Dactyloscopy
- Identification by friction-ridge skin patterns. The Calcutta Anthropometric Bureau, reorganised as the world's first Fingerprint Bureau in 1897, gave India a permanent...
- Serology
- The examination and identification of body fluids at crime scenes, typically blood, semen, saliva, and urine, using chemical tests and immunological methods...
- Toxicology
- The scientific study of poisons, their effects on living organisms, and their detection. Forensic toxicology specifically addresses the detection and quantification of...
Explained in
- A Short History of Forensic ScienceAnalysis of specific regions of an individual's DNA to generate a profile that, with high statistical probability, uniquely identifies that person. Developed b...