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DNA is the fundamental building block for a person’s genetic makeup which is the genetic blueprint that is passed from one generation to the other. The DNA of an individual is the same for all the cells and therefore does not change throughout the life of a person. For example, the DNA of an individual’s blood remains the same as the DNA that is found in the person’s saliva. DNA is found in every part of the body such as the fat tissues, sweat, the bones, mucus and even the semen. The parts of the DNA are helpful in the determination of the physical characteristic such as the eye color height and hair color. However, DNA that is collected from the scene of a crime as used as evidence in the identification of the perpetrator of the crime and not to identify the physical characteristic of the person.
The stories concerning the use of DNA evidence to convict the perpetrators of the crime have for the past few years appeared in the media in an increasing frequency. The criminal justice professionals together with the public have come to the sense that the forensic DNA technology has revolutionized the manner to which the law enforcement agents investigate violent crimes. The crimes include the crime scene investigation, counselling the rape victims to avoid washing the critical evidence, genuine conviction of the offenders as well as the connection of the offenders to other brutal crimes.
The DNA evidence is playing a significant and plays a more significant role in providing evidence in the criminal justice department to ensure that justice has been achieved especially where the person who committed the crime is unknown, and the conviction of the innocent would not serve the purpose of enforcing justice. The significance of the DNA has grown considerably in recent years as the technology has as well improved and therefore the collection of more accurate DNA evidence has been made possible. The DNA evidence obtained for the crime scenes have consequently been used frequently to the conviction of the offenders.
The DNA has for a long time now been used for various fields that include in the field of medicine, forensics, agriculture and the paternity fields. The use of the DNA is evolving as the technological advancements are being experienced in the globe. In the past, it was challenging to trace the DNA of a person and therefore, the various uses of the DNA in the current century was deemed to fail as the technology used was rudimentary implying that one had to stay with their suspicions forever unless something else could be identified as being substantial evidence or connection to the person either who have committed a crime or need to be determined.
The DNA, therefore, has found various uses in the current century, and one of the most significant applications of the DNA evidence is in the forensic field. The forensic field has heavily relied on the DNA for evidence, and therefore it has become a very crucial aspect of the forensics for a very long time. The discovery of the DNA implies that the guilt or the innocence of a person to whom is investigated of committing a crime relies on the crucial role of the DNA to unmask the criminal and therefore proving the subject guilty or innocent from the results of the DNA. The presence of the DNA also implies that even with the smallest or limited evidence, there can still yield vital clues that regard to the perpetrator of the crime. It is also important to note that the identification of victims could also happen even at the slightest cases that one can never think of, and this might include the cases where the victim’s condition is not recognizable to the family or friends or even when the victim is not known and can be one of the family members and therefore the need to carry a DNA test to clear the doubts and suspicions. It is therefore with this sense that the DNA has been used to revolutionize the whole field of forensic science and this impact is felt within the criminal justice system and has contributed to the production of accurate and substantial evidence and therefore played a vital role in the safeguarding of the society.
Since the DNA has been used to identify the victims of crime by providing substantial evidence to the courts helping the judges to prove the guilt or innocence of an individual, the DNA has therefore achieved another significant use in the field of crime prevention. The DNA has been used to identify the perpetrators of crime and led to their conviction especially if the evidence is pointed to the specific individuals. Through this linkage of the DNA in the unmasking of the perpetrators of crime, the DNA has with a large margin been able to prevent certain individuals from committing crimes, and this has been possible in the sense that they are afraid to be unmasked in broad daylight. Due to the fear of being caught, most of the criminals have shifted their techniques to other ways that would prove that they were linked to a specific crime by wearing protective clothing or even using chemicals that destroy the DNA evidence and of it all burning all the evidence that could link them to the crime. But the slightest mistake they make is that they are not aware that even the presence of a piece of hair or even the sweat is crucial to the ident cation of the criminal. It is, therefore, this broad aspect of the DNA that has greatly aided the government and society in maintain law and order with only the petty crimes being conducted and to which are easily recognized and dealt with to ensure justice.
The DNA has found its use in various fields as mentioned above and therefore it has played a significant role in the paternity and legal impact. The DNA has been used to trace and identify the individuals whose DNA match with the results, and therefore this implies that it is possible to discover the history of a person through his or her bloodline. It is worth to note that that the DNA remains similar in a person and does not change from time to time throughout the life of a person. DNA is genetic implying that it is passed from one generation to another and from parent to child. With this aspect in mind, it has become easy to identify individuals who are in the same bloodline or to whom share the same ancestral origin. Therefore, the DNA has found a crucial role in the establishment of a family as well as the extended families through tracing and correlating their DNAs to establish a connection between the families. It doesn’t matter how far in the family lineage that the person is but the fact remains the same that the DNA across all the persons who share a common ancestry will remain to be the same for decades will only fewer variations occurring due to issues like intermarriages.
As mentioned above that the DNA can be used in the tracing of family lines, the same issue is significant in the attempt to solving of family problems especially if there have been doubts of the biological connection of the parent to the child. In hospitals especially in the maternity departments where many children are delivered at the same time. In most of these circumstances, it is sometimes difficult to label all the children correctly as there are confusions that arise during this process of tagging the infants. Due to this, most of the parents find themselves in a situation that they would not have desired to be and that is the possession of a child that is not biologically theirs and therefore at this point that the DNA comes in to play in trying to identify the birth parents of the children. Without the use of this test, most of the parents in the hospitals would be going home with their friend’s babies without their knowledge only to realize later that the kid doesn’t belong to them due such influence on behaviors.
Apart from the identification of the babies in the hospitals, the DNA in the paternity and legal impact can also be used to solve family issues such as retrieving a lost child or the establishment of the biological parents of the child. It is worth to note that most of the families may be bringing up children to whom they are not their biological parents especially the father. The reason is that it is only the mother who knows the birth father of their children and therefore for the fathers to be sure that they are bringing up children to which they are the biological fathers, they have to perform a DNA test to confirm their doubts. Besides, in the case of a lost relative, the DNA can be performed to reconnect the relative to the family.
The DNA has also found its use in the field of medicine through diagnosis and treatment of conditions. The discoverability of the DNA has made the ability to diagnose diseases early has dramatically improved to the continued research on genetics. Besides DNA is able to access and assess the genetic susceptibility of a person to specific diseases, and by doing so there has been paved a pathway for the formulation of brand new drugs that can effectively treat the conditions suspected to be genetic. And this has significantly helped in reducing the number of deaths that result from diseases that are genetic but treatable. The drugs are made to complement the person’s biochemistry and genetic makeup, and therefore they do marvels in healing the conditions of the person. In the early days, some of the conditions that proved to be lethal and that contributed to massive deaths in the past due to the non-existent of treatment, the discovery of the DNA has made a breakthrough in the drug field making the treatment of such conditions easier saving the lives of the patients. In the medical field as well, the DNA has become an essential component in the arrangement of a person’s profile and therefore making it easy to trace the history of a person through their blood type, and previous conditions suffered.
The DNA has also found its use in the field of agriculture and has proved to be an essential component. In this field, the DNA is used in the breeding of animals to achieve animals that have better qualities through interbreeding. One of such examples is the breeding of the animals with the urge to obtain a high yielding milk animal or a crop that is resistant to pest and diseases. The DNA also allows the farmers to produce more nutritional content in their products and this has been used in the supplementation of foods especially in the developing countries where the problem of malnutrition is evidenced.
The DNA has therefore influenced many fields ranging from criminal justice, paternity, and medical as well as the agricultural fields. With these all uses, the DNA has proved to be a crucial component in the day to day activities of the current generation and therefore it can be said that the presence of the DNA that law and order have been enforced in the society due to the fear of being caught when committing crimes. The security, as well as family conflicts, have also been enhanced due to the presence of the DNA, and besides, the founding of treatments for the genetic conditions has facilitated an extended live among the individuals suffering from the diseases.
References
DNAFORCE. Why is DNA Testing so Important?. Retrieved from: https://dna-testing.ca/article/applications-of-dna-testing.htmlExplore DNA. The Importance of DNA. Retrieved from: http://www.exploredna.co.uk/the-importance-dna.htmlOffice of the Justice Program. Role of the DNA. Retrieved from: https://nij.gov/journals/279/Pages/non-dna-evidence-in-sexual-assault-cases.aspxRAINN. The Importance of DNA in Sexual Assault Cases. Retrieved from: https://www.rainn.org/articles/importance-dna-sexual-assault-casesU.S Department of Justice. Understanding DNA Evidence: A Guide for Victim Service Providers: Retrieved from: https://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/DOJ-DNAguidevictimserviceprovider.pdf
