Nuclear DNA is:

• A. Unique to an individual
• B. Inherited maternally
• C. Found only in mitochondria
• D. Shared by populations

Answer: (A)

Nuclear DNA provides a unique genetic fingerprint for almost every person because it is a full set of chromosomes inherited from both parents and shuffled during the formation of eggs and sperm. It sits in the cell nucleus and contains countless variants (alleles) spread across the genome. The combination of maternal and paternal alleles, plus recombination during meiosis, creates a DNA profile that is essentially unique to an individual (except for identical twins). This is why nuclear DNA is so powerful for identification in forensics and kinship testing. The other statements mix up where this DNA comes from or where it is located: maternal inheritance describes mitochondrial DNA, not nuclear DNA; nuclear DNA is not found only in mitochondria since it resides in the nucleus on chromosomes; and while people in a population share ancestry, the specific nuclear DNA sequence varies between individuals, so it isn’t simply shared by populations in a way that eliminates individual distinctiveness.