Revision summary
PCR and sequencing find disease variants and guide some cancer care. NIPT and karyotype serve prenatal and chromosomal medicine. Recombinant insulin shows DNA as a factory, not only a test. Databases can misread Indian alleles if they are Europe-heavy. Ethics of consent and discrimination travel with the kit.
Model answer
Copper italics in this answer — like this — are the key facts. Each one is unpacked in the Facts & figures rail.
Introduction
DNA technology in medicine uses the genome to diagnose, predict, and sometimes treat. Anthropology meets it in counselling, forensics, and population diversity.
Body
Tools
- PCR, Sanger, and now NGS find pathogenic variants in thalassaemia, cystic fibrosis, and cancers.
- Karyotype and FISH still catch aneuploidy. NIPT screens fetal DNA in maternal blood.
- Recombinant insulin and vaccines are DNA-industry medicines, not only tests.
Limits and ethics
- A variant is not always a disease. Penetrance and ancestry bias in databases matter for Indian patients.
- HeLa history and later GINA-style debates show consent and discrimination risks.
- Gene therapy is real for a few disorders; it is not a general cure.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD DNA[DNA technology] --> DX[Diagnosis NGS PCR] DNA --> RX[Recombinant drugs] DNA --> ET[Consent ancestry bias]
Conclusion
DNA technology diagnoses Mendelian disease, screens fetuses, and makes some drugs. Medicine still needs phenotype, consent, and local allele files.
Quick related
Students also ask
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Elucidate the role of Anthropology in selection and monitoring of sports persons
Next question on this syllabus topic (2015 · Q7(c)). View answer →
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Does a DNA test replace the clinic?
No. Variant interpretation needs symptoms, family, and sometimes functional proof.
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Is gene editing routine care?
A few licensed therapies exist. Most conditions still use counselling and conventional treatment.
Same topic · past papers
UPSC has asked this before
These previous-year questions sit on the same topic. Open one to practise the earlier ask.
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2026 · Q8(b) · Anthropology GS 1 · 15 marks
In what manner is our understanding of serogenetics and cytogenetics useful in reproductive biology? What are the major ethical issues involved in reproductive technology? -
2023 · Q6(c) · Anthropology GS 1 · 15 marks
Describe the practical applications of DNA technology in the current scenario.
More from this topic
Q8(b) · UPSC Mains 2026 · Anthropology GS 1 · 15 marks · Solution
In what manner is our understanding of serogenetics and cytogenetics useful in reproductive biology? What are the major ethical issues involved in reproductive technology?
Applications of Anthropology
Serogenetics uses blood groups and serum protein markers for paternity disputes, Rh incompatibility, and fertility-related polymorphism. Cytogenetics uses karyotyping to detect numerical and structural chromosomal defects behind miscarriage and congenital disorders. IVF, ICSI and PGD extend these tools into clinical reproduction. Ethical flashpoints include commercial surrogacy, commodification of reproduction, eugenic selection through PGD, and unclear parentage when donors are involved. India's ART and Surrogacy Acts, 2021, aim to regulate practice while protecting dignity.
Q8(c) · UPSC Mains 2025 · Anthropology GS 1 · 15 marks · Solution
Examine the utility of human remains in forensic analysis. Discuss the facial reconstruction technique
Applications of Anthropology
Forensic anthropology estimates sex, age, stature and trauma from bones and teeth, and it records context. Krogman and Stewart standardised osteological identification. DNA STRs and dentistry confirm identity when references exist. Clyde Snow’s human-rights cases show remains as testimony. Facial reconstruction uses tissue-depth markers, as in Gerasimov and Gatliff, now often with CT and 3D prints. The face is an approximation to prompt recognition, not a certain portrait. Ethics include family consent and no racial or caste over-claim.
Q6(a) · UPSC Mains 2025 · Anthropology GS 1 · 20 marks · Solution
What are genetic markers? Discuss their applications in understanding population variation, disease association and forensics
Applications of Anthropology
A genetic marker is a heritable polymorphism that can be read in families or populations. Classical markers include ABO and proteins. DNA markers include SNPs, STRs, mtDNA and Y haplotypes. Population applications map variation and movement and undermine typological race. Disease applications include sickle-cell and malaria, HLA, counselling, and GWAS. Forensic applications include STR identification, mtDNA from degraded samples, and Y-lineage in mixtures. Lewontin’s within-group diversity and Jeffreys’s DNA fingerprinting are central names.