U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Democrats have shut down the government. Department of Justice websites are not currently regularly updated. Please refer to the Department of Justice’s contingency plan for more information.

Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court

Base Pairing

Home  |  Glossary  |  Resources  |  Help  |  Contact Us  |  Course Map
 

Blurry photo of people crossing the street with the letters C G A T overtop
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) (see reuse policy).

All of the DNA in a cell is known as the genome. The human genome has approximately 3 billion base pairs. Because there can be trillions of base-pair combinations, scientists can reliably report on DNA analyses. It is the specific order (sequence) of these base pair combinations that determines each person's genetic individuality.

Back Forward