What I mean is what is it in DNA that a computer can compare and match with other samples of DNA?
In: 5
DNA is made up of 4 basic molecules. When you see those vertical block things on TV, that’s the lab extracting DNA from some cells, adding an agent, and then running it through a gel. That agent looks for a pattern, let’s say 43432214241 and then cuts the DNA. Now you’ll have a bunch of DNA pieces. Then you put those pieces into a fancy gel with a magnetic current that attracts the DNA. The small pieces go through the gel easily, so they show up near the top of the gel. The big pieces can’t move as easily so they clump together at the bottom. Then you just compare your sample to the database and see what matches.
For information on the gel process, the term you want is [Agarose gel electrophoresis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agarose_gel_electrophoresis).
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