Principles of Forensic DNA
for Officers of the Court
Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court
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Module 2 :: Biology of DNA

Topic 1 :: Biological Terminology

Image of Nuclear DNA and Mitochondrial DNA

The Two Types of DNA: Nuclear and Mitochondrial

Both nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are used in forensic DNA identity testing.

Nuclear DNA is found in the cell nucleus. Mitochondrial DNA is found in cell cytoplasm.

There are significant differences between these two types. Mitochondrial will be addressed in Module 8.

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