According to Michael Clarage in this video, we should recognize there is more than DNA replicating a human body with mutations. What determines the next form of organisms doesn’t seem to be purely a function of DNA as thought. Here, Michael shows, “form” not entirely coming from DNA experiments conducted with planaria. They cut off tails and they reproduced correctly. They cut off heads (with the brain) and it reproduced correctly - and amazingly with the brain. But when they cut off the head and modified the electrical potential of some cells, it reproduced a new head of a related species - and they didn’t alter the DNA.
https://youtu.be/pQ-M_iPMPVk
It seems like that means something for the DNA studies - and evolution theories - but I’m no expert on anything - and this is just a scientist specializing in electrical aspects of biology - spreading his findings on YouTube.
I think it would be more accurate to say it’s a physicist who specializes in crank astrophysics.
The “spreading his findings on YouTube” is a big clue.
But it’s peer reviewed YouTube! 
Phenotypic plasticity is a real thing.
However, it still boil down to DNA. The reason why you can get different outcomes due to different stimuli is because the genome contains genes that respond to those stimuli. How those genes respond to stimuli is determined by their DNA sequence.
DNA can also stick to some cell surface proteins, which is important in immune recognition.
PCR is the lab technique gives you about a million times the copies of the starting DNA, so just one DNA molecule is in principle enough to detect. (This also means that contamination is easy). Thus, despite the general lack of DNA inside mature red blood cells (I was incorrect in saying they would still have mitochondrial DNA), there’s enough DNA in a bit of blood to detect.
If a drop of blood is 50 ul, then there are (normally) 250,000 to 500,000 nucleated white blood cells in that drop. That’s more than enough DNA for forensics and many other applications.
Why conversation go in this direction?
All posts seem to go elsewhere after the first half dozen replies. Random mutation.
To return a bit to the legacy of the Human Genome Project, in medicine other advances in cancer treatment are directly related to gene sequencing as some tumor mutations respond better to some regimens than others. Of course, the technology for that came later, but the work done was foundational.
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