• Understand the similarities and differences in the DNA of humans and how those differences can be exploited for forensic identification.
• Understand the structure of DNA and how hydrogen bonds between the nucleotide bases dictate the complementary nature of the double helix. Students will be able to predict the nucleotide sequence of one strand of DNA in a double helix if given its complementary strand.
• Describe the technique of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and relate it to the normal cellular process of DNA replication. Students will be able to predict the sequence of PCR primers that would amplify just one short stretch of DNA out of an entire genome.
• Understand how short tandem repeats (STRs) within human chromosomes can be used to generate fingerprints and how to interpret these fingerprints to match the DNA to a specific person.
• Use statistical prevalence of STRs to determine the probability that someone else at random in the population could have DNA that matched a sample found at a crime scene.

DNA fingerprinting; polymerase chain reaction; PCR; DNA replication; short tandem repeats; STR; amelogenin; AMELX; restriction fragment length polymorphism; RFLP; murder case; criminal investigation; forensic investigation; Wales