Jury members were provided two sets of fingerprints as evidence in a homicide case. One set tested 5 markers and the other tested 10 markers. Both sets matched the defendant's profile. Which one is more reliable and why?

Question

Emmett

Biology

8 February, 14:20

Jury members were provided two sets of fingerprints as evidence in a homicide case. One set tested 5 markers and the other tested 10 markers. Both sets matched the defendant's profile. Which one is more reliable and why?

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Eve Snow · Answer 1

DNA markers are STRs or short tandem repeats, meaning that there are short sequences of DNA that are repeated. The more STR's that are seen through electrophoresis allows the test to be more discriminatory. This means that the more repeated DNA sequences there are the more it can be related to the individual and the more reliable it is. Therefore, the test with 10 markers would be more reliable DNA evidence against the defendant because there are more STR's in the sequence.