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Dna in criminal investigations research paper
Human DNA helps to solve crimes in society
DNA profiling in criminal justice
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DNA in forensic science has been around for a long time. DNA has had help in solving almost every crime committed. There have been a lot of crimes where people are raped or murdered and the person who did it runs free. Scientists can collect the littlest item they see at the scene, such as a cigarette butt or coffee cup and check it for DNA. People have spent years in jail for a crime they didn’t commit till DNA testing came into effect. People are getting out of jail after 20 years for a crime they didn’t commit, cause of the DNA testing. DNA has helped medical researchers develop vaccines for disease causing microbe. DNA has become a standard tool of forensics in many murders and rapes. There is much evidence of population evolution. Some evidence they found of population evolution are fossils. Fossils are historical records. Over millions of years ago land eroded and was carried away by rivers and ended up in the bottoms of oceans compressing older deposits into the rock. Dead organisms settled along the …show more content…
This gave rise to nonvascular plants like, mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. The second period of plant evolution began 425 million years ago was the diversification of plants with vascular tissue allowing plants to grow much taller and rise above the ground. The next period of plant evolution is the origin of seeds, about 360 million years ago. Seeds are embryos packed along with food in a protective covering. Last is flowering plants about 140 million years ago, which is seeds within protective chambers called ovaries. Animal evolution begins when an animals egg and sperm fuse, producing a zygote. The zygote splits by mitosis and forms an blastula, which usually is a hollow ball of cells. One side of the blastula folds in forming a gastrula, which develops into an embryo with a two-layered wall and an opening on one end. After the gastrula stage animals develop into
DNA is the blueprint of life. It stores our genetic information which is what is in charge of how our physical appearance will look like. 99.9% of human DNA is the same in every person yet the remaining .1% is what distinguishes each person (Noble Prize). This small percentage is enough to make each person different and it makes identifying people a lot easier when its necessary. DNA not only serves to test relationships between people it also helps in criminal cases. DNA testing in criminal cases has not been around for many years if fact it was not until the early 1990s when the use of DNA testing for criminal cases was approved and made available. By comparing the DNA of a suspect and that found in the crime scene a person can either be convicted of a crime or they can be exonerated. This method of testing gained more publicity in the 1984 case of Kirk Noble Bloodsworth a man who had been convicted of the rape and first degree murder of a nine year old girl in Maryland. His case was a milestone in the criminal justice system since it involved the use of new technology and it also raised the question of how many people had been wrongly incarcerated for a crime they did not commit.
. DNA can be left or collected from the hair, saliva, blood, mucus, semen, urine, fecal matter, and even the bones. DNA analysis has been the most recent technique employed by the forensic science community to identify a suspect or victim since the use of fingerprinting. Moreover, since the introduction of this new technique, there has been a large number of individuals released or convicted of crimes based on DNA left at the crime scene. DNA is the abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid.
In April of 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick published a game changing paper. It would blow the mind of the scientific community and reshape the entire landscape of science. DNA, fully knows as Deoxyribonucleic Acid is the molecule that all genes are made of. Though it is a relatively new term with regard to the age of science, the story of DNA and the path to its discovery covers a much broader timeframe and had many more contributors than James Watson and Francis Crick. After reading the paper the audience should have a better understanding of what DNA is, the most important experiments that contributed to its ultimate discovery and the names and contributions of the lesser-known scientists that helped Watson and Crick turn their idea
The origins of DNA were first discovered during 1857 by Gregor Mendel the "Father of Genetics”, whom was performing an experiment of genetics with pea plants, and would provide a basic foundation towards DNA and Genetics. Friedrich Miescher and Richard Altmann in 1869 were also part of the first people to discover DNA. While testing some sperm of a salmon, they discover a strange substance that they would name as "nuclein", which is known as DNA. This new form of "nuclein" (DNA) would be found to only exist in chromosomes. Frederick Griffith, a researcher, found the basis on DNA, from a molecule inheritance experiment involving mice and two types of pneumonia. His findings were that, when virulent disease is heated up (to kill) and is injected into a mouse, the mouse survives. Unlike the second mouse that has been injected with non-virulent disease and virulent disease (that had been heated and killed) is killed. This would be caused by an inheritance of molecule (transformation) of virulent bacteria passing on a characteristic to the non-virulent. DNA findings would continue to be tested and tried to better understand how DNA works.
First and foremost is the Michael Mosley case. Michael Mosley was convicted murdering a couple ten years ago (Wurtman, 2011). Two other men were cleared when Mosley’s DNA was found at the scene of the murder (Crowe II, 2012). Also, there was a palm print on the wall and further DNA on the sheets in the bedroom (Wurtman, 2011). In contrast to all the evidence, Mosley’s attorney offered an alternative reason and painted a picture of different events to explain Mosley’s DNA’s presence (Wurtman, 2011). However, the jury didn’t buy the defense’s story, and Michael Mosley’s conviction led to a call for the DNA database to be worked on with the most interesting fact being that Michael Mosley had no DNA in the system until seven years later than the crime (Crowe II, 2012).
Therefore, DNA evidence has help solve cases that could have been closed and no justice would have been performed. Here is an example from Dave Phillips the article “Judge Rules DNA Evidence Admissible in Royal Oak Murder Trial.” presented in the Oakland Press News. Phillips writes that the judge made a rule that DNA evidence should be admissible in a murder trial. A man was accused of killing an elderly woman in her home in Royal Oak. The attorneys of the guilty party, Alan Wood, tried to keep DNA evidence out of this case. In the end of his article he tells the reader that by using DNA evidence in this murder trial man guilty party went to jail when he could’ve been free without the ruling of the judge. The pros of having DNA evidence in murder trials would mean of catching the real killer and having justice for the families of the victims which they
Evolution is a process of living things change slowly in a very long time, so it evolved into a new species more complete body structure. According to the theory of evolution, living now in contrast to living in the past. The ancestors of creatures alive today may experience changes in form and structure. In addition, may experience changes in both the structure and genetics in a very long time, so the shape was totally different from the original and finally generate different types of species present. So the plants and animals living there now was not the first time here on earth, but it comes from living in the past.
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic exists in all living organisms, is self-replicating and gives a person their unique characteristics. No two people have the same matching DNA. There are many different forms of DNA that are tested for situations such as criminal. Bodily fluids, hair follicles and bone tissues are some of the most common types of DNA that is tested in crime labs today. Although the discovery of DNA dates back to 1866 when Gregor Mendel proved the inheritance of factors in pea plants, DNA testing is relatively new and have been the prime factor when solving crimes in general. In 1966, scientists discovered a genetic code that made it possible to predict characteristics by studying DNA. This lead to genetic engineering and genetic counseling. In 1980, Organ was the first to have a conviction based off DNA fingerprinting and DNA testing in forensics cases became famous in 1995 during the O.J. Simpson trial (SMC History , 2011).
The amount and types of evidence needed to convict a suspect varies in courts from country to country around the world. DNA evidence, an important part of crime solving today, is also used and interpreted differently in the court systems of all countries. According to “Issues in Gathering, Interpreting, and Delivering DNA Evidence” by Judge Andrew Haesler, in countries such as New South Wales and both North and South Australia DNA evidence alone cannot determine guilt, but in the courts of Scotland and England there are no laws preventing conviction based on DNA evidence alone. Surprisingly, even the United States courts have rejected the idea that DNA evidence alone cannot convict (Haesler 5). This may be due to a jury’s reliance on scientific evidence, causing them to be willing to convict when DNA evidence is presented, but unwilling to convict in the absence of DNA evidence. This is known as the ‘CSI Effect.’ Juries in US courts also tend to expect DNA evidence in certain crimes, even when it is not relevant, and when it is presented it is often inaccurately used and interpreted when trying to convict a suspect (Shelton 1). Not only can DNA evidence be presented and interpreted wrongly, it can also be inaccurate due to the delicate nature of DNA and the tedious processes conducted to identify it. These inaccuracies lead to wrong convictions, sending innocent suspects to jail or even a death sentence. Often, cases like these are reopened later, and only then do courts realize they convicted the wrong suspect. Cases like these make one wonder why courts would not have the common sense to use DNA evidence to make a conviction only when other evidence is present to support it. Wrong accusations could be prevented worldwide if DNA...
DNA is known as a deoxyribonucleic acid. Every single cell contains DNA and every living organism contains DNA. DNA is in many things like people’s blood, saliva, skin tissue, hair, and bone. In that case DNA could play a big role in evidence of different cases like criminal cases. DNA could help convict people that are guilty or they could eliminate those who were wrongly accused. The most common form of DNA is called polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The process is when millions of copies of small amounts of the DNA is made and then can be compared with the DNA profile from a suspect. Investigators can collect DNA from many different numbers of sources. Almost anything can contain DNA. For example in a sexual assault case any evidence like hair, skin cells, semen, or blood that is left on a victim’s body could be collected and be compared with samples to place a suspect at the scene of the crime. Like in a sexual assault case for evidence a physician or sexual assault nurse examiner would test for sexually transmitted diseases and collect evidence like fingernail scrapings and hair. This can be collected as evidence to figure out the person who sexually assaulted the person. And possible evidence could be found at the scene that could possibly link it to the person’s DNA. Sweat and skin cells could as well be used as evidence. If none of that works out then a DNA profile can be put into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) to identify a suspect anywhere in the U.S. DNA evidence could also be contaminated in the process of collecting the DNA. Because of this the investigators always wear disposable gloves and avoid touching other objects. With the right care of the evidence the DNA can be stored for years without degradatio...
DNA – the very molecule that defines who we are. It is still fascinating that a molecule that is so small that is not visible to the naked eye determines not just our physical appearance but also our mental wellbeing. Over 60 years, the discovery of the double helix DNA had impacted various fields relating to Biology and Chemistry, contributing to the advancement of technology and subsequently mankind too.
Singer, Julie A. "The Impact Of Dna And Other Technology On The Criminal Justice System: Improvements And Complications."Albany Law Journal Of Science & Technology 17.(2007): 87. LexisNexis Academic: Law Reviews. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Much of the evidence counted against evolution is the lack of transitional fossils in the fossil records. The fossil record only contains complete and fully formed species.
This shape looks much like a twisted ladder and gives the DNA the power to pass along biological instructions with great precision. The scientific and medical progress of DNA has been immense, from involving the identification of our genes that trigger major diseases or the creation and manufacture of drugs to treat these diseases. DNA has many significant uses in society, health and culture today. One important area of DNA research is that used for genetic and medical research. Our ability to now diagnose a disease in its earlier stages has been greatly improved....
Now it is used in maternity tests, personal identification and forensic science. DNA fingerprinting would allow a scientist or any qualified worker to match the DNA of any person. All the worker w...