Why is genetic fingerprinting useful for identifying individuals?

• A. Because VNTR patterns are identical in all individuals
• B. Because VNTR patterns are unique to each person
• C. Because it sequences the entire genome quickly
• D. Because it analyzes only protein sequences

Answer: (B)

Genetic fingerprinting relies on regions of the genome where the number of repeats varies greatly between individuals. These repeating sequences, such as VNTRs or STRs, create a DNA pattern that is effectively unique for almost every person. By analyzing a small set of these highly variable loci, you obtain a profile that can be matched to a sample from a person with very high reliability. This uniqueness is what makes the method so powerful for identifying individuals. It doesn’t depend on identical patterns across people, nor does it involve sequencing the entire genome or analyzing protein sequences; instead, it targets short repetitive regions and compares their lengths or counts to build a distinctive DNA fingerprint.