When it comes to identification with DNA, forensic scientists have two basic approaches at their disposal. One approach analyzes nuclear DNA and is useful in identifying someone who is alive or has died only recently. This is the technique used to incriminate (or exonerate) suspects of crimes and in paternity testing. It's also the one used to identify the remains of victims of the September 11th attacks.
The other approach analyzes mitochondrial DNA, or mtDNA. Because mtDNA tends to survive long after nuclear DNA has disintegrated, this approach is useful in identifying the remains of per…
