Criminal Laboratory Internship

You are a final-year forensic science student interning at a criminal laboratory, which specializes in unsolved cases. You will be working with another final year student, Eric, under the mentorship of Dr. Greene. 

Source: Freepik

Dr. Greene: Welcome to our cold case unit! I am very thankful for the extra help, we have a very busy department! Let’s talk about your first case. You will be working on a murder case from 1989. We received a call from the Newport Police Department earlier today; they found a body in Woodland Park and the police have identified similarities with a series of murders that happened back in 1989. The police have sent over a piece of torn T-shirt found at the scene; they think it is the suspect’s own. We need to determine if there's a connection between the new DNA sample and the genomic data from the 1989 case. 

You: I remember this case, it really puzzled local law enforcement, we learnt about it in class. I look forward to helping with the case! 

Eric: Which technique will we be using today, Dr. Greene? 

Dr. Greene: Well, the DNA from 1989 was processed using Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP). Given the absence of DNA from 1989, we'll compare new RFLP patterns to historical records.

You: I remember this technique; the first step is restriction endonuclease digestion of the DNA. 

Eric: Yes, that’s right, I remember we talked about how this is a valuable molecular biology technique. (Whispering to you) We should probably refresh our memories about this technique before we do anything to compromise the DNA found at the crime scene. 

You nod your head and take out your laptop to revise your notes from your Year 1 Biology Laboratory class. You remember that this technique has wide applicability and you discuss with Eric the applications of DNA restriction endonuclease digestion. 

What is an important application of this technique?