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After a long day at work, you decide to crash on the couch and watch a little television. After flipping through the channels, you notice the impressive line-up of police, courtroom, and medical dramas. Finally, you settle upon an episode of Law and Order. Tonights episode is about a young girl who was raped and murdered. In the end, extensive D.
N. A. testing reveals the true killer, and the case is solved. Like many other prime time television series, the characters in Law and Order always manage to crack the code and solve the crime. Unfortunately, the real-life police dramas are not always solved within the hour but perhaps the director failed to include this information in the script. In many trials, D.
N. A. tests are no longer considered substantial evidence. Though many support the use of this specific technology in the courtroom, others doubt the accuracy of D.
N. A. testing. As more television series bring attention to the matter, it is evident that the issue is open for debate. Now more than ever, it is necessary for the public and the professionals to research the topic and form an opinion based upon the background of D. N.
A. testing, a logical explanation of the testing process, and the advantages and disadvantages of D. N. A.
testing. Before the O. J. Simpson trials and The Clinton hearings, one never would have imagined that a bloody glove and a blue dress could be the key to solving these multi-million dollar investigations.
Yet, common items, such as the ones brought into question in both the Simpson and the Clinton cases, have long been used as a tool in fighting crime. Ironically, this system known as D. N. A. fingerprinting was originally developed for a different purpose. In 1985, an English geneticist, Alec Jeffreys, developed the testing to expose the presence of genetic diseases.
Over the next three years, while Jeffreys fine-tuned the testing process, he discovered that the same technique could be used to identify criminals and settle paternity suits. As Jeffreys D. N. A. test gained more recognition, he patented the technology along with Lister Institute and established Cellmark Diagnostics. For many people their only exposure to a lab environment came in high school.
Consequently, for those of us who found the idea of mixing chemicals and dissecting animals too much to digest, we have respect for the lab technicians who submit themselves to a daily routine of measuring and probing. Yet, in addition to the seemingly mundane tasks, some technicians assist in the development of D. N. A. fingerprints or profiles in a process known as electrophoresis. Though the word may be hard to pronounce, the procedure itself is actually quite simple.
After the specimen has arrived to the lab in the form of a blood clot, a trace of skin, a drop of semen, or a strand of hair, the D. N. A. is extracted from the sample and mixed with enzymes, thus chopping the D. N. A.
Into fragments (Wekesser, 118). The next step in the procedure requires the lab technician to pour the D. N. A.
mixture into openings in a gel like layer called agarose. The agarose is then placed between a positive and negative electrode where the strands of the negatively charged D. N. A. pull like magnets towards the positive electrode.
The smaller molecules will travel easily through the gel, thus the smaller molecules will appear longer on the gel like slide. This method produces an image of lines at different lengths that helps the lab technician to sort the molecules according to their size. Finally, the agarose gel is developed in a manner similar to standard x-ray tests. When the x-ray is developed, the picture will simply look like a mess of black bars.
However, when the x-ray is compared to the image of the victims D. N. A. , one will be able to determine whether the D. N. A. from the crime scene evidence matches the D.
N. A. of the suspect. Just as there are two sides to every story, there are also two opposing viewpoints in every debate. In particular, the issue of D. N.
A. testing has become a level playing field because both parties display valid concerns and solid platforms. For instance, supporters of the technology claim that D. N. A.
fingerprinting is the most effective tool in solving a crime (Wekesser, 120). Author Howard Cooke agrees, D. N. A. -based identity testing is probably the most significant development in forensic science since fingerprinting it-self, creating the possibility of uniquely identifying an individual from a single cell left at the scene of the crime.
In addition, other individuals believe that D. N. A. fingerprinting is beneficial because it produces rapid results with a high degree of certainty (Weiss, 30). Moreover, D. N.
A. testing can often save investigators money because time is saved on the investigation. Finally, D. N.
A. testing helps to identify suspects quickly, which increases public confidence in the criminal justice system. On the other hand, those that disagree with d. n.
a. technology argue that the test results are unreliable. Peter Doskoch explains, D. N.
A. fingerprinting may sound like the ideal evidence for an open-shut case-if the tests are done accurately. But that, say opponents of using D. N. A. evidence, is a big if.
Doskoch is not alone in his opinion of laboratory practices; others have complained that the private labs where the testing takes place are not applying standardized quality controls (Weiss, 71). Furthermore, the technology is very expensive. If a defendant cannot afford the test, it can be difficult to defend them in court (Wekesser, 130). Although, perhaps the most effective counter-argument lies in the accusation that a D. N.
A. fingerprint may not be unique. This viewpoint is based on the fact that only a small segment of D. N.
A. is used, rather than the complete strand (Beavan, 56). As crime rates rise across America, it is essential for the criminal justice system to place the guilty parties behind bars. In order to do so they must have strong evidence that can be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
D. N. A. testing is helping. Yet, because of the ongoing debates some court rooms some court rooms do not allow D. N.
A. testing to be submitted as evidence (Weiss, 80). When dealing with advanced technology, such as D. N.
A. fingerprinting, the jury is still out. Therefore, taking into account the track record of D. N. A.
testing is important. The procedure itself can be very effective, however electrophoresis should not be tampered with. Ultimately, D. N. A.
fingerprinting is very effective, yet human error has caused the science to attract controversy. In the end, we must weigh the good with the bad and decide whether we will use the technology responsibly, or allow it to backfire. Works Cited Page Beavan, Colin. Fingerprints: The Origins of Crime Detection And The Murder Case That Launched Forensic Science. New York: Hyperion, 2001. Weiss, Ann.
Bioethics: Dilemmas in Modern Medicine. New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, inc. , 1985. Wekesser, Carol, ed. Genetic Engineering: Opening Viewpoints. California: Green haven Press, 1996. Annas, George and Elias, Sherman.
Gene Mapping: Using Law and Ethics as Guides. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. Cooper, Iver. Biotechnology and the Law. New York: Clark Boardman Co. , 1989.
Fox, Michael W. Beyond Evolution. New York: The Lyons Press, 1999. Golden, Roger. Designing Babies: The Brave New World of Reproductive Technology. New York: W.
H. Freeman and Company, 1999. Judson, Horace. The Eighth Day of Creation. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979. Internet Radio, Patricia.
Some Ethical Issues in DNA Testing. June, 1996. Kongsaard Goldman Foundation. November 28, 2001. http: //students. Washington.
edu / radio /wash. htm Riley, Donald. DNA Testing: An Introduction for Non-Scientists. Scientific Testimony: An Online Journal. (1998): 5 pages. 28 November 2001. web Bowen, R.
DNA Testing: Introduction and Index. 18 March 1996. Colorado State University. 28 November 2001. < web Signal, Jane. Frequently Asked questions. 1998. The Innocence Project. 28 November 2001. < web Collins, Francis. Statement on Use of DNA Testing for Pre symptomatic Identification of Cancer. 1993.
The National Cancer Institute. 28 November 2001. web Clark, Janet. Lab on A Chip. The University of Michigan. 28 November 2001. web info/Releases/ 1998 /Oct 98 /r 102198 B.
html Students at Mark Morris Library. The Gene School. ThinkQuest. 1998. Think Quest, Inc. 28 Nov 2001. web sum outside. html? +name = 19037 & url = 19037 /court 2.
html Sealey, Geraldine. The DNA Revolution: Genetic Profiling Changed Crime Fighting. 4 June 2001. ABC Network Television. 28 Nov 2001. < < http: //abc news. go. com / sections /us/Daily News / dna testing 990803. html> Others Kruger, Jeffrey.
DNA Detectives: Genetic fingerprinting is already being used to identify criminals. Can the rest of us be far behind? Time. 11 Jan 1999: 62. Shannon, Elaine. DNA: Putting Bad Guys Away Too. Time. 13 Sept 1999: 28.
Author Unknown. How DNA Testing Works. Newsweek. 12 June 200: 32. Today, Tracy. Genes and Money: The Growing Sensitivity and Falling Cost of DNA Technology Creates a Boom for Market Paternity Tests. Time. 12 April 1999: 69 - 70.
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Research essay sample on Science Dna Testing And Modern Crime Solving
