Polymerase Chain Reaction ( PCR ), Quantitative/Real‐Time PCR ( qPCR ), Reverse Transcriptase PCR ( RT‐PCR )

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and its derivatives such as quantitative/real‐time PCR (qPCR) and reverse transcriptase PCR (RT‐PCR) have revolutionized molecular approaches to primatology. These techniques allow for the characterization of precise regions of DNA and RNA from minute samples and the determination of their levels of expression both qualitatively and quantitatively.