Question

mitochondrial dna can be taken from bone, hair, or teeth and used in dna typing. what are the benefits to using mitochondrial dna over nuclear dna? check all that apply.
mtdna requires a much smaller sample than nuclear dna
mtdna is useful if the nuclear dna is degraded.
mtdna is inherited from the mother and fathers egg cells, unlike nuclear dna
mtdna is present in all maternal relatives of the person being investigated.
done

Explanation:

• Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is present in multiple copies per cell, so a smaller sample is sufficient compared to nuclear DNA which has only two copies (one from each parent).
• When nuclear DNA is degraded (e.g., in old or damaged samples like bones, hairs), mtDNA can still be retrieved and analyzed as it is more resilient in some circumstances.
• mtDNA is maternally inherited (from the mother), not from both parents. So the statement about inheritance from mother and father's egg cells is incorrect.
• Since mtDNA is maternally inherited, all maternal relatives (like maternal grand - mother, mother, maternal aunts, etc.) share the same mtDNA (barring mutations), which can be useful in investigations.

Answer:

mtDNA requires a much smaller sample than nuclear DNA, mtDNA is useful if the nuclear DNA is degraded, mtDNA is present in all maternal relatives of the person being investigated.