Every human cell (except gametes) contains a set of 23 chromosomes. Inside the chromosome is a coiled mass of genetic material called DNA. The structure of DNA looks like a twisted ladder with rungs. The four nitrogen bases that make up DNA are adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine (A, T, G, C) which are the rungs of the ladder.

An obvious future use of DNA fingerprinting, which is somewhat used today, is a record of everyone's fingerprint at the police stations. This record will help aid in criminal investigations. Genetic fingerprinting will also be used much more for public health use. It can be used in the future to help track epidemics of diseases. If scientists can detect a disease early, then there may be some cases where gene therapy can be offered in the future as well. Advances in genetic engineering are also being made and will be furthered in the future. This laboratory technique is used by scientists to change the DNA of living organisms. Gene therapy is a method where a faulty gene is taken out and replaced with a better, functional gene. Cloning is another product of DNA fingerprinting and will start to take rise in the future as well. Cloning is used to make an exact replica of a gene in an individual. One more advancement in the near future (2004) will be the Genome Project. This name is given to a project for the scientific discovery of every gene known to man and what their function is. An addition to this piece of news is a micro-chip. Eventually the government wants to place this in humans so they will know how to treat the illness and can monitor specific genes of a person. (Betsch 1994)

Scientists can detect and diagnose inherited disorders in prenatal and newborn babies. If there is a high risk of bearing a child with an inherited disease the doctors will run several DNA tests on the baby to gain knowledge of the baby's health status. Some of the most common genetic disorders that doctors look for are mental retardation or physical deterioration. (Betsch 1994).

Some more recent examples where DNA fingerprinting was used as biological evidence was to catch the unabomber and during the President Bill Clinton's trial. In 1994 and 1995 America had two of it's most fatal attacks from the unabomber. By DNA fingerprinting a licked envelope from the unabomber, the police was able to track him down and arrest him (CNN 1996). In 1998, Clinton was taken to court under the suspicion of sexual harassment. Semen stains from Monica Lewinsky's dress was tested to confer if it contained Clinton's DNA. The results from the fingerprinting tests were taken to court and used in the trial (Cass 1999).

DNA fingerprinting has revolutionized the way we look at any living organism. It is able to distinguish individual traits to set us apart from everyone else in the world. It not only serves as many uses to us now but will serve as many uses in the future as well. It provided a better understanding of the human body and gave a clearer outlook from where genetic diseases come from. They have helped make great advancements in the police departments and are becoming a part of everyday life for everyone. DNA fingerprinting is sure to be used much more in the future and it will continue to benefiting scientists as well as the average person.

DNA fingerprinting has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, learning about an illness from a prenatal baby can help prepare the families of the future diseases. A disadvantage though, is that it contributes to the rise in abortions. Since the parents have knowledge of possible illnesses before birth it gives them the choice whether to have the child with an infirmity or to abort it. Another problem that the fingerprinting could bring about is the accuracy. Depending on who is measuring the lengths of the sequences, they will vary therefore producing varying results. The DNA fingerprinting is very sensitive and can be contaminated very easily (Shapiro 1991). If the samples are collected from clothing the type of detergent that was used can make the DNA cut apart differently when it is sent away to be tested (Shapiro 1991). It is also very expensive to DNA fingerprint. However, other studies show the DNA fingerprint is very reliable, accurate and good to stand up in co

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