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If mitochondrial dna from a crime scene matches a suspect, does that mean the suspect committed the crime?

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Final answer:

Matching mitochondrial DNA from a crime scene to a suspect does not definitively prove guilt. Additional investigative work is necessary.

Step-by-step explanation:

Matching mitochondrial DNA from a crime scene to a suspect does not definitively prove that the suspect committed the crime. It only establishes that the suspect's DNA is present at the crime scene.

While mitochondrial DNA can provide valuable evidence in forensic analysis, it is not as specific as nuclear DNA. Many individuals in a population can have the same mitochondrial DNA sequence, so a match does not necessarily mean guilt.

Additional investigative work, such as examining other evidence and conducting further forensic analysis, is necessary to establish guilt or innocence.

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