in biology, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method widely used to make millions copies of a specific DNA sample rapidly
- denaturation - unravel DNA by heating to to 94 degrees celsius
- annealing - set up reaction by adding primers, making temperature 52-58 degrees celsius so they bind properly
- elongation - once the primers are in place we can copy the DNA, the DNA polymerase enzyme reads the DNA strand from 3’ to 5’ and makes the new strand from 5’ to 3’. this is best done at 70-80 degrees celsius