Q.Can we use recent molecular tools to identify and classify organisms?

As molecular biology matured, taxonomy gained a new class of tools that examine an organism's DNA and RNA directly, offering far greater accuracy and authenticity than comparing outward morphology alone. Several specific molecular techniques are used for taxonomical classification.

DNA barcoding uses a short, standardised genetic marker present in an organism's DNA to identify which particular species it belongs to, functioning much like a supermarket barcode but for species identity. DNA hybridization measures the degree of genetic similarity between two different pools of DNA sequences by testing how readily single strands from each pool will bind (hybridise) to one another — greater similarity produces stronger binding. DNA fingerprinting identifies a specific individual organism from a DNA sample by examining unique, individual-specific patterns within that DNA, a technique widely known from its forensic applications but equally useful in taxonomy for distinguishing closely related individuals or populations. Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) analysis detects differences between otherwise homologous (matching) DNA sequences by cutting the DNA with specific enzymes and observing the resulting fragments — sequence differences change where the DNA gets cut, producing fragments of different lengths that reveal genetic variation. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) sequenci …