A hush falls over the courtroom. A lawyer points dramatically at a man behind a table and thunders, “DNA evidence proves that this man is the killer.”
Moments like that—both on TV and in real courtrooms—have made DNA the rock star of cell science. Another word for cell science is cytology. Even many people who are not sure what a cell is have heard of DNA evidence and DNA testing. Police today often catch criminals by using DNA tests. DNA is as individual as a fingerprint. Just a bit of hair, saliva, or blood contains enough DNA to identify a criminal and solve a crime.