What is meant by Degradation?
Conditions regarding biological specimens inside a living human body are controlled. Once the specimen is no longer inside a living body changes begin to take place. The DNA which is packed tightly in the chromosomes of a cell may under certain conditions become fragile and is subject to degradation outside a living body. Degradation of DNA is a process which causes the DNA to break into smaller pieces. The more severe the degradation, the smaller the DNA fragments become. It is important to note that degradation does not change the DNA from one profile to another profile. It means that out ability to obtain a full profile many be diminished to obtaining a partial profile or no profile at all. The degradation process can be slowed by removing moisture from the sample (allowing it to air dry) and lowering the temperature.
