Crawford, Michael H.Beaty, Kristine G.2014-04-012014-04-012013-11-18Crawford, Michael H, and Kristine G Beaty. 2013. “DNA Fingerprinting in Anthropological Genetics: Past, Present, Future.” Investigative Genetics 4:23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/2041-2223-4-23.https://hdl.handle.net/1808/13391In 1985, Sir Alec Jeffreys developed the variable-number tandem repeat method used to identify individuals and giving researchers the first DNA fingerprints. These initial methods were used in anthropological genetics, a field that uses a comparative approach to answer questions about human history, including the discernment of the origin of Native American populations and the discrimination of clan affiliation from individuals in Siberia. The technological and methodological advances since this time have led to the use of many more markers, including restriction fragment length polymorphisms, Y chromosomal and autosomal short tandem repeats, single nucleotide polymorphisms, and direct sequencing not only to identify individuals, but to examine frequencies and distributions of markers (or “prints”) of entire populations. In the field of anthropological genetics these markers have been used to reconstruct evolutionary history and answer questions concerning human origins and diaspora, migration, and the effects of admixture and adaptation to different environments, as well as susceptibility and resistance to disease. This review discusses the evolution of DNA markers since their application by Sir Alec Jeffreys and their applications in anthropological genetics.en-USThis is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0Anthropological GeneticsDNA FingerprintsMitochondrial DnaVariable-number Tandem RepeatsY Chromosomal And Autosomal Short Tandem RepeatsArticle10.1186/2041-2223-4-23http://id.worldcat.org/fast/886584http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1024018DNA fingerprintingMitochondrial DNAopenAccess