Following the collision of two trains a large number of passengers are killed. A majority of them are beyond recognition. Authorities want to hand over the dead to their relatives. Name a modern scientific method and write the procedure that would help in the identification of kinship.

DNA fingerprinting is the modern scientific method used for the identification of kinship. Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNTR) are satellite DNAs that show high degree of polymorphism. They are used as probes in DNA fingerprinting.

Procedure of DNA Fingerprinting:

i. Firstly, DNA from the individual and closest relative is isolated and cut with restriction endonucleases.

ii. Fragments are separated according to their size and molecular weight through gel electrophoresis of both the individual and the relative.

iii. Fragments separated through electrophoresis gel are blotted (immobilised) on a synthetic membrane such as nylon or nitrocellulose.

iv. Immobilised fragments are hybridized with a VNTR probe.

v. Hybridised DNA fragments can be detected by autoradiography. The autoradiograph of the individual and the relative is compared.

VNTRs vary in size, ranging from 0.1 to 20 kb. Hence, in the autoradiogram, a band of different sizes will be obtained. These bands are characteristics of an individual. They are different in each individual, except in the case of identical twins. The presence of similarities, between the individual and the relative helps to determine the kinship.

Hence the body of the individual can be handed over to their relatives.