Dictionary

forensic science: When scientific processes are applied to the legal system, which is very useful for DNA testing or genetic fingerprinting.

fourth amendment: The provision on the American Bill of Rights that guards against searches and seizures, and applies to DNA testing as well.

gel electrophoresis: A technique used for the separation of deoxyribonucleic acid, ribonucleic acid, or protein molecules using an electric current that is applied to a gel matrix.

gene: A basic unit of heredity in a living organism that passes along DNA to their offspring.

genealogical DNA test: A type of test that examines the nucleotides at specific locations on a person’s DNA for genetic genealogy purposes.

genetic fingerprinting: A technique that is used to distinguish between individuals of the same species using only samples of their DNA.

genetic testing: A genetic diagnosis of vulnerabilities to inherited diseases, as well as a way to determine a person’s ancestry.

genetics: The study of how living organisms inherit the features of their ancestors.

genetic marker: A known DNA sequence that can be described as a variation which may arise due to mutation or alteration in the genomic loci.

genographic project: A five-year anthropology study that aims to map historical human migration patterns by collecting an analyzing DNA samples from hundreds of people around the world.

genome: A term used in molecular biology that describes a microscopic part of an organism that has its whole hereditary information encoded in the DNA.