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| Born | 9 January 1950 Oxford |
| | Age 73 | |
Alec Jeffreys 1984
Professor Sir Alec John Jeffreys born (9 January 1950) in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is a geneticist at the University of Leicester. In 1984 through his investigations Jeffreys discovered a method of showing variations between individuals' DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), inventing and developing genetic finger printing.
What is so beneficial for crime investigation is that DNA for profiling can be extracted from almost any human cell, including blood, semen, skin, saliva, mucus, perspiration, roots of hair, and even old and dried out samples.
Genetic Finger Printing
An X-ray film image of a DNA experiment unexpectedly showed both similarities and differences between the DNA of different members of his technician's family. He realized that it was possible to develop this into a form of DNA finger printing, using variations in the genetic code to identify individuals.
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Tags: DNA fingerprint forensics genetics
