DNA Databases
DNA-databases are a controversial idea, but perhaps because of the complexity of the science involved, it can also be a topic people are scared to voice an opinion on.
This page explains some of the history and science behind DNA and DNA-fingerprinting, and explores the pros and cons of creating a central database containing this kind of information.
Here, you'll find a suggested structure for holding a debate on the subject to get your students talking, and links to other useful sites on the same subject.
DNA-FINGERPRINTING
Sir Alec Jeffreys discovered DNA-fingerprinting on the 15th September, 1984. It was a revolutionary step forward in crime detection, and for other issues that rely on the identification of a particular individual.
Our guide starts with some information on the basic questions first, scroll down for a little more detail.
WHAT'S DNA?
Your DNA is unique to YOU (unless you're an identical twin). It acts as a sort of instruction manual for the make-up of your body.
As you probably know, the discovery of the structure of DNA took place 50 years ago this year, so there's no shortage of information on the subject around right now! One quick way to find out more about DNA is to check out the DNA-50 pages pages in the Out There section of this very website...
WHAT'S A FINGERPRINT?
It's the print made by your finger - d'uh! Well, actually no, it's more than that ... as each person's fingerprint is unique to them, it can be used in crime investigations to locate a particular person in a particular place.
DNA is also unique to its owner so can be put to the same use...
No matter what you do, everyone leaves bits of their DNA around all over the place, all the time - in fact you’re doing it right now. Your body is constantly shedding cells (where do you think dust comes from?!) and there will also be DNA in saliva and other bodily fluids... So even if there are no standard fingerprints around at a crime-scene, a DNA one may be available instead.
Scientists can extract DNA from a single strand of hair or a drop of blood left at a crime-scene, and use this information to link a particular person to a particular place (in a similar way to a fingerprint - hence the term 'DNA-fingerprinting'.)
But being the awfully amazing thing that it is, DNA-fingerprinting promises a little more than that...
WHAT OTHER USES ARE THERE FOR DNA-FINGERPRINTING?
DNA is the product of your ancestry (that is, you get it from your parents), so you share lots of it with your family. This means DNA fingerprints can be used in paternity cases and to find out about a person’s biological heritage as well as in crime detection. For example DNA from Prince Phillip was used to identify bodies of the Russian Royal family, and more recently the technique was used to confirm that Steve Bing was the father of Liz Hurley's baby.
What's more, because the information in your DNA is what tells your body to make a person up to particular specifications (eye colour, hair colour, etc), it's possible that in the future, forensic scientists might be able to determine the hair or eye colour of a suspect, from the information in some crime-scene DNA. This would obviously be of great use to the police - almost like a photo-fit picture.
But is this really possible? Well, others argue that this sort of information is a lot more complex than just our DNA. Even with something as apparently clear-cut as skin or hair or eye-colour, we cannot tell for sure what a person looks like just by examining their DNA.
The Home Office and other groups have invested a lot of money in research on this, but no-one has yet managed to map out what sort of DNA makes what sort of person clearly and accurately enough to be of use. A DNA sample can only give scientists a rough idea of what hair colour a person will have - and that's not even taking into account that they might have dyed it pink!
DNA DATA-BASES
A DNA-database is a collection of DNA-fingerprints taken from a large number of people, kept on record, and thereby available for examination in later investigations. Sound like a great idea? Well, it might make some policework a lot easier.
However, because DNA has a lot more information in it than a standard fingerprint, by taking a DNA-fingerprint you are potentially recording an awful lot of very powerful information, not just about your family tree or the colour of your eyes, but about your genetic susceptibility to diseases you may not even know about yet.
This is a difficult issue because no one is exactly sure how much your genetic make-up forms you (that is, there are key social and environmental influences too) but if the promises of the Human Genome Project are true, then what’s in our DNA is crucial.
As such, someone with a record of your DNA fingerprint might be able to find out all sorts of things about you, even more than you know yourself! Do you really want to know what you might die of? And do you want other people knowing this (for example an insurance company) especially if you don’t know it first?
All the extra information in DNA is very useful to sscientific researchers so they can find out more about DNA and even work towards treatments of genetic diseases. Many biotechnology companies would love to get their hands on your DNA too. But the same, if not more, security issues apply - do you really want that information out there?
SUGGESTED STRUCTURE FOR DEBATE
PART ONE:
Imagine you all live in a small town, a terrible crime has been committed, and everyone is concerned to find the culprit. The police ask to take DNA samples from everyone - but not everyone wants to be “fingerprinted”. (Your students may have seen a scenario like this in Hollyoaks recently).
....what should the town do?!
PART TWO:
Whatever you decide, imagine it's a few months on. The criminal has been caught (either with or without the help of DNA evidence) but the DNA-database stays on record at the police station. A local biotechnology company asks the town council if they can buy the database to do research on it.
...what should the town do?!
Would you have make a different choice if your answer to part one had been different?
LINKS TO SITES WITH MORE INFO
- Howstuffworks will tell you all about how DNA-fingerprinting works. The page is a little complex in places but includes pictures of DNA-fingerprints and links to other pages.
- DNA detective from BBC-i, this includes games and stories about DNA fingerprinting both in terms of forensic and historical/ anthropological applications.
- Genewatch an organisation devoted to ensuring genetic technologies are developed in the public interest, has information on “biobanks” (DNA databases for research).