Science History Podcast · Frank A. von Hippel
Polymerase Chain Reaction: Henry Erlich
·1 hr 41 min·5 clips
Henry Ehrlich describes how PCR was used in the first criminal DNA case, Pennsylvania vs. Pestinicus, aiding the defense.
As heard by us
PCR is presented as a scientific breakthrough that reshaped both genetics and criminal justice.
The episode treats PCR as one of those ideas that only feels inevitable after the fact. Henry Ehrlich walks through the jump from Taq polymerase to amplifying a single DNA molecule, then to using PCR on tiny fragments of crime scene evidence. The Earl Washington Jr.
Why you'd press play
Hear how PCR changed molecular biology, crime scenes, and what counts as vanishingly small DNA evidence.
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