Question

What is the advantage of using STR for the identification of bodies from a mass disaster, such as the World Trade Center?
A) STR results are rapidly available.
B) STR is an inexpensive test to perform.
C) STR can match a victim's DNA with that of relatives.
D) DNA records of victims are readily available through CODIS.

Answer 1

The correct answer is C. Short tandem repeats are mostly different in unrelated peoples' DNA. Therefore, it is used to match the DNA of the people of the related family for identification of bodies, during a mass disaster like World Trade Centre. DNA from the nucleus is extracted in the process, and the STR containing regions are amplified and studied and can be matched with that of the relatives.