DNA research. Vials containing DNA which has been produced using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the chemical which contains the instructions necessary to build a living organism. PCR is a technique used to make workable amounts of DNA from a small sample. Bacteria are used which contain the enzyme DNA polymerase. For this PCR, Thermus aquaticus bacteria (Taq-1) were used, as they thrive in the high temperatures PCR requires. PCR allows an amount of DNA to be increased a million times in one day.