So now that we've briefly introduced polymerase chain reaction or PCR in our previous lesson video, it's fair to ask why we use PCR. Well, it turns out that scientists will use PCR for many different reasons. And that's because PCR is a quick and efficient process for generating many identical copies of DNA in a test tube. Now DNA cloning, which occurs inside of living cells and does not occur in test tubes, is going to be more accurate, but it's actually a less efficient process. And that's because, recall, DNA cloning occurs inside of cells, and although there are fewer mutations inside of cells, it's going to take a lot longer to amplify the DNA inside of cells. And that's because a lot of times cells take 24 hours or more to be able to grow, and then after you grow the cells, you have to isolate the DNA, and that's a whole another step within itself. And so PCR is much quicker and much more efficient. And so in our example, down below, we're going to take a look at, just in general, how PCR, or what PCR can do. And so, it says here that PCR can be used to amplify the amount of DNA taken from a crime scene so that a detective can actually investigate the DNA. And so down below over here, notice we have this scientist that has a test tube here with some DNA that perhaps was found at a crime scene, but notice that there's not a whole lot of DNA within this sample. And so notice the scientist is saying, "I wish I had more of this particular DNA of interest, so that he has enough DNA to be able to run tests on it." And so this is where PCR can come into play because the process of PCR, polymerase chain reaction, can amplify the amount of DNA to make many identical copies of the DNA as we see over here. And so the scientists are saying, "Wow, that amplified very quickly." And the process of PCR can be done in a relatively short period of time, maybe something like 2 hours, 1 and a half, 2 hours, whereas DNA cloning, again, is going to take much, much longer, which it could take well over 24 hours in many cases. And so, why do we use PCR? To make many identical copies of DNA in a test tube very quickly and efficiently. And so again, as we move forward in our course, we're going to continue to talk more and more about PCR and the steps of PCR. So I'll see you all in our next video.
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- 1. Introduction to Biology2h 40m
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18. Biotechnology
Introduction to Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Introduction to Polymerase Chain Reaction practice set
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