DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid was discovered in 1953 by Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and James Dewey Watson. DNA is a nucleic acid that carries the genetic information in the cell. It is made up of two long chains of nucleotides twisted into a double helix and joined by hydrogen bonds between the complementary bases adenine and thymine or cytosine and guanine. The sequence of nucleotides determines individual hereditary characteristics. Recently in science people have been trying to figure out if certain sequences of DNA could be used to determine the race of a person.
According to the article “The Reality of Race” in Scientific American with the use of forensics a criminologists could determine if a suspect was Caucasian, Afro-Caribbean or Asian Indian by analyzing three sections of DNA. This process can do two things at once, identify race and help investigate crimes. To identify individuals, forensic scientists scan about 10 DNA regions that vary from person to person and use the data to create a DNA profile of the individual (sometimes called a DNA fingerprint). There is an extremely small chance that another person has the same DNA profile for a particular set of regions. There are many benefits that will come w
If this process is to be used by scientist all over the world many kinks and potential problems need to be sorted out before this is actually brought to the market for use. “science can be used to eliminate public perceptions of racial superiority and inferiority, which are the basis of racism itself” (GNN-Articles). If the human genome can actually be mapped the world might just be able to live as one race or mankind.
2)”Science, The New York times on line” http://www.uwec.edu/Academic/Curric/majstos/p390/Articles/082200sci-genetics-race.html