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DNA profiling, or genetic fingerprinting, is a scientific process that forensic specialists can use to match the DNA of unknown persons to the DNA of readily identified persons based on a comparison of the similarities and differences in that small percentage of human DNA that differs between human beings.

Almost all human DNA, some 99.9 percent of it, is identical. However, until the morning of September 10, 1984, no one in the scientific community knew that patterns could be detected within the remaining tenth of a percent of human DNA. At 9:05 a.m. that day, British geneticist Alec Jeffreys noticed such patterns in his technician's family's DNA. This simple observation of similarities and differences in this small sample led to the equivalent of an earthquake in the scientific community, with profound consequences for all humankind. Initially, genetic fingerprinting was used to link the DNA of unknown persons to members of their family, or used to link certain unknown individuals to victims of crimes or to crime scenes. Soon it was applied to the remains of deceased persons to link them to certain known persons in order to make an identification.

Obtaining a reference sample from one person is a necessary first step. A sample of saliva, blood, semen, or other bodily fluid or tissue is taken from a living person. That person's unique DNA profile is then prepared and compared to other DNA profiles to see if there is a match. Jeffreys' initial technique used extraction of a restriction enzyme, followed by southern blot analysis. Thereafter, scientists developed a host of other and increasingly improved techniques--all of which flowed from Jeffreys' initial observation of the patterns in the tenth of a percent of human DNA that differs from person to person.

Once it became known that DNA patterns existed, the floodgates opened in nearly all aspects of genetic, as well as forensic, research. The Human Genome Project, which mapped the human genome, and medical research for a wide range of inherited disorders all benefited from Jeffreys' initial discovery. Archaeologists and animal researchers have also made use of DNA fingerprinting to identify remains and fill other gaps in their investigations.

Jeffreys' biochemical breakthrough had far-reaching ramifications. Rape and murder cases now routinely use genetic fingerprinting if traces of DNA can be found and connected to the victim or the crime scene. Numerous persons facing execution on death row have been exonerated because of DNA profiling, and criminals have been conclusively identified using this method. DNA fingerprinting has also been used to establish definitive proof of parenthood (paternity or maternity). The identification of long-dead individuals or charred bodies whose identity cannot be determined by conventional means are now resolved through DNA testing.

The field of DNA analysis has received major funding because it has proven to be an invaluable tool in forensic science. The Human Genome Project, begun in 1990, was made possible in part by Jeffreys' breakthrough. . .

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