A hush falls over the court. A lawyer points at a man behind a table and says, “DNA evidence proves that this man is the killer.”
Moments like that—on TV and in real courtrooms—have made DNA the rock star of cell science. Another word for cell science is cytology. Even people who don’t know what a cell is have heard of DNA evidence and DNA testing. Police today often catch criminals by testing for DNA. It is as individual as a fingerprint. Just a bit of hair, saliva, or blood contains enough DNA to identify a criminal. That’s how it helps solve crimes.
