Question

a young boy has been found, and police are trying to locate his family. they take a dna sample from him and begin collecting dna samples from families who have missing children. if police use dna samples only from the fathers, which type of dna technology can they use to identify the boy’s parent?

• y - chromosome analysis
• mtdna (mitochondrial dna) analysis
• vntrs (variable tandem repeats)
• pcr (polymerase chain reaction) analysis

Explanation:

To identify the boy's father using DNA from fathers, Y - chromosome analysis is suitable. Y - chromosomes are passed from father to son. mtDNA is passed from mother to offspring. VNTRs are used for general DNA profiling but not specific to paternal lineage. PCR is a technique to amplify DNA, not for specific parental identification here. So Y - chromosome analysis is the right choice.

Answer:

A. Y - chromosome analysis