SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL Yale University: Science Education Outreach Program

III.C) Group Activity: Paternity Suit

DNA evidence is used to identify individuals unambiguously in a variety of situations, including criminal investigations and paternity suits. The uniqueness of each person's DNA results in differences in paterns of restriction enzyme digestion. The gel below shows DNA evidence from a paternity suit. A child's DNA fragment pattern (DNA profile) will be a mixture of the father's and mother's patterns. In groups, answer the questions concerning the DNA evidence in this paternity suit.

1. Would you expect the child's profile to contain all of the fragments from either parent? Why or why not?
2. Which male(s) cannot be the father of this child?
3. Which male(s) might be the father?
4. Does this evidence prove that one of these men is the child's father? Explain.
5. Does this evidence prove that one or more of these men could not be the father? Explain.