There are regions on DNA that are made up of multiple copies of short repeating sequences of bases (for example TATT) which repeat a variable number of times depending on the individual. These regions, called “variable number short tandem repeats” are what is looked at when performing STR analysis. The likelihood of two people having the same number of repeated sequences is extremely small, and becomes even smaller the more regions that are analyzed. This makes up the basis of short tandem repeat analysis.The cornerstone for this process, however, is polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This allows forensic scientists to make millions of copies of the STR regions. Gel electrophoresis then “yields the number of times each repeat unit appears in the fragment.” This allows for easy comparison of DNA.