CSI is a popular T.V. show. Realistically, the drama in the lab room takes a lot longer and is more scientific, than portrayed in the show. Blood found at a crime scene must be handled properly or it can be destroyed or damaged and a perpetrator can be set loose because of a lab’s mistake. Other body liquids, like salvia, can be stored as well. By keeping these liquids at certain temperatures’, lives can be saved. DNA or (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the identifying part of a blood sample.
This double helix structure is made of 4 different amino acids. The acids are called adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine. These acids stack and arrange themselves to create the different characteristics of a person.
Once scientists analyze these structures they are able to analyze them against a national database. Because blood is so small, a centrifuge is used to break down the samples and a gel box with the units of micrometers is used to notice different patterns. This fragile sample cannot freeze, or it will become useless. Cross contamination is always a threat. This can easy happen in cases, where police officers or persons in the lab did not wear gloves. Blood samples can also be used in identifying paternity.