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Why DNA Assays Require Trillions of Molecules in Molecular Biology

This concept explains why nucleic acid assays are performed with trillions of DNA molecules rather than single molecules: gel electrophoresis detects a signal produced by a population of identical molecules migrating together, and a single molecule produces no detectable band. It belongs to molecular biology methodology, relating the statistical/population nature of molecular reactions (primer-template annealing and polymerase-mediated extension) to the practical requirements of visualizing assay products.