DNA Profiling

History

Pioneered by Sir Alec Jeffreys in 1984, with focus on so called "minisatellites" which are highly variable portions of human DNA that are typically repeated in non-coding portions of DNA.

Background Readings

• Encyclopedia Britannica
• Wikipedia
• More technical discussion from NCBI
• Less technical discussion from San Jose Tech Museum

An Ideal Model

We will make some greatly simplifying assumptions about our data sets.

• We assume that extracted features and measurements have no error
• We assume that every feature of a child must have been inherited from either the mother or father (or both), but that no mutations take place during reproduction.

Challenge 1: Crime Scene Investigators

Which suspect might have been at the scene of the crime?

Challenge 2: Paternity Test

Who's the likely father?

Challenge 3: Reconstructing a Family Tree

Can you determine the family tree?