The document summarizes two experiments involving forensic DNA fingerprinting and bioinformatics. In the first experiment, students analyzed DNA samples from a crime scene and five suspects using PCR and electrophoresis to identify which suspect matched the DNA at the crime scene. Suspect S3 was found to match completely. The second experiment involved using an online genomic database to compare a given DNA sequence to sequences in other organisms. The students identified the sequence as being 100% similar to the tamarin monkey genome.

1. Cristina<br />Forensic DNA Fingerprinting<br />This experiment was divided into two parts; one was a practical one were we saw the usage of PCR in forensic applications and the importance of new technology when it comes to DNA. In the first part of the experiment, each group of students was assigned a DNA sample from a crime scene and five other samples from suspects. To determine which of the suspects was the one present in the crime scene, each of these samples passed through PCR, for the replication of the DNA, and then each sample went through electrophoresis. After electrophoresis is done, the different DNA fragments are going to be separated. For the results to be more visible, the gel has to be stained. After staining, the results can be observed and compared. In the gel, when we compared the DNA of the crime scene with the ones of the suspects, a differentiation in fragments sizes and thickness is notable from the ones found in the crime scene and suspects S1, S2, S4, and S5. However, when the DNA of the crime scene was compared with the one of suspect S3, complete compatibility was found. The fragments were the same size and thickness as the ones present in the crime scene. It can be concluded, that suspect S3 was present in the crime scene and the other suspects were not. The use of this technique is very important for forensic data analysis.<br />Bioinformatics<br />Bioinformatics is a new type of analysis that is being used for genetic related studies. There exists an Internet page (Name it.) where different types of comparisons can be done between genomes of different types of organisms. This database page is so versatile that it even allows you to find the presence of a specific sequence of DNA in the genome of almost any organism. During this lab, we were able to discover several of the uses of this Internet page, as well as the proper management and interpretation of the information. We worked with a specific sequence of DNA that had been given to us. This sequence had to be entered into the databases of Bioinformatics. This was done to compare the sequence to similar sequences in other organisms. The sequence that was compared was a tamarin monkey. I was able to identify the species because the comparison resulted in 100% similarity. <br />