What is DNA profiling?

DNA profiling is a technique used to identify an individual from a sample by studying the unique patterns in the DNA.

First discovered by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys in 1984, DNA profiling identifies the many mini-satellites in the genome to produce a pattern unique to an individual. This unique pattern is called a DNA fingerprint. Just like an actual fingerprint, DNA fingerprint is unique to every individual. The probability of two people having identical DNA fingerprints is very rare. In DNA profiling, a sampling of DNA is compared with the sample found at a crime scene in order to establish the identity of the criminal or the unidentifiable victim.