Human Hair DNA

[pkc]

Is it true that hair that is cut from your head (not pulled), does not contain any nuclear dna ?

My understanding of hair structure is that it is a matrix with at least some dead cells present in various layers. Eg the outside cuticle is made of flattened cells .
Feughelman, Max Mechanical properties and structure of alpha-keratin fibres: wool, human hair and related fibres, Sydney, UNSW Press (1996) ISBN 0868403598

Did these cells ever have a nucleus containing DNA, which broke down perhaps ?

Thanks very much !

[pkc]

Further,
What are the large dark spots shown in the following cross-section of a hair ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gray945.png

[Darby]

I think that you're right (I'm not positive), that with DNA amplification techniques, the small amount from a hair shaft can be used for analysis.