A paleontologist has recovered a tiny bit of organic material from the 400-year-old preserved skin of an extinct dodo. She would like to compare DNA from the sample with DNA from living birds. Which of the following would be most useful for increasing the amount of DNA available for testing?
a. Restriction fragment analysis
b. Polymerase chain reaction
c. Molecular probe analysis
d. Electrophoresis

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a molecular biology technique used to amplify specific DNA sequences, making millions of copies from a small sample. This is particularly useful when working with degraded or limited DNA, such as that from ancient or preserved specimens. By using primers that target specific regions of the DNA, PCR allows researchers to generate sufficient quantities for further analysis.

Various DNA analysis techniques, such as restriction fragment analysis and electrophoresis, are used to study DNA structure and function. Restriction fragment analysis involves cutting DNA with specific enzymes to analyze the resulting fragments, while electrophoresis separates DNA fragments based on size. However, these methods do not increase the amount of DNA available, which is crucial in this context.

Molecular probes are short strands of nucleic acids used to detect specific sequences of DNA or RNA. They can bind to complementary sequences, allowing researchers to identify and quantify specific genetic material. While useful for analysis, molecular probes do not amplify DNA, making them less relevant for increasing the amount of DNA from a small sample.