Question

Archaeologists unearthed a human skull with a small dried fragment of the scalp still attached. They extracted a tiny amount of DNA from the scalp tissue. How could they obtain sufficient DNA for an analysis of the ancient human's genes?A. Subject the DNA to electrophoresis.B. Use a nucleic acid probe.C. Subject the specimen to amniocentesis.D. Use the polymerase chain reaction.E. Subject the DNA to restriction enzymes.

Answer 1

D. Use the polymerase chain reaction.

Step-by-step explanation:

Option A is incorrect because subjecting the DNA to electrophoresis will only identify, purify or quantify the DNA.

Option B is incorrect because nucleic acid probes are only useful in detecting mRNA.

C is incorrect because amniocentesis is just a medical procedure involving the removal of amniotic fluid for the purpose of analysis.

Option E is not correct because restriction enzymes will only cut the DNA at specific points.

The correct option is D. Polymerase chain reaction is a procedure in molecular biology that is utilized to amplify or multiply a copy of DNA.