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Over 30% of all men tested for paternity are NOT the father!
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Archive for the ‘Health & Wellness’ Category
Do Blood Type, Hair Color or Eye Color Determine Paternity?
As a DNA Relationship specialist, I have a lot of folks tell me that they assume that they are or are not related because of eye color, blood type or general appearance. Many people say things like “but the baby looks just like me” or ” I have a different eye color than everyone else in my family so I must be someone else’s child”. I am here to tell you that appearances are not always a good indication of who the parent is. I would like to offer some answers to these questions or assumptions.
It is not possible to conclusively confirm paternity by using blood typing. The only thing you can establish is that the parents of the child had specific blood groups such as A, B, AB, or O. This does not eliminate any one else within those groups. As you can see below there are many possible combinations based on blood type:
As you can see, blood type does not answer conclusively the question of paternity. And as well, appearance also cannot definitively answer that question. I have often heard, “she/he has brown eyes and both of her parents have blue eyes” so they are not sure who their parents are. Eye color cannot conclusively determine paternity. Eye color follows a polygenic inheritance pattern, and is probably controlled by 6 or more genes. Generally, these genes express themselves as one of 8 different eye colors. “Dark” is dominant at each of the 6 genes. The more dominant alleles present, the darker eye color appears. Therefore, eye color provides an even lower level of certainty than blood typing in determining paternity.
The same thing stands for hair color, let’s say red. It takes 2 carriers (Rr) to have a red-headed child.When a red hair carrier mates with a non-carrier, their children are not red headed, but some of their children will carry the red hair r allele. The frequency of the r alleles in the population in fact remains constant. We cannot easily tell if a person is a red hair carrier (Rr) without examining his/her extended family members’ hair colors or analyzing his/her MC1R gene. However, we can reasonably expect the population of red hair carriers is much greater than that of the redheads. Even though there is no redhead in your immediate family, the chance that you are a carrier (Rr) is still quite high. It is estimated that as many as one in four Caucasians in the US might be a red hair carrier. Therefore, if parents don’t actually have red hair, if they both carry the red hair gene their children can have red hair.
Therefore, as it turns out, there are so many variables when it comes to eye, hair , blood type or looks the most conclusive way to discover the truth is to perform a paternity or maternity test. I hope this provided your with valuable answers and addressed your questions or concerns.
That’s right, April 25th is National DNA Day! In 2003, it was proclaimed as such by both the US Senate and the House of Representatives. DNA Day is a remembrance of the advancements in DNA technology. Among them: a ground breaking article on the structure of DNA which was first published in 1953; and the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003.While you might not have the day off, you might want to stop and think about just what DNA has done for us.
Whether you are in the industry as a geneticist, scientist, doctor, of just a regular citizen, you probably understand how big of a contribution mapping our human genome has made to our lives. From medicine, cancer and disease research, the more we understand the better equipped we are to provide personalized medicine to each and every person. So this April, honor these advancements by taking some time to think about DNA and some of it’s many uses:
1. In archeology, DNA helps record genetic information of life on earth many centuries ago. This creates a data base that can be used to learn more about our planet’s past.
2. Genetic testing is used to determine the paternity or maternity of a child.
3. DNA testing can be used to help create a family tree or genealogical chart. Through genetic databases one can trace lost relatives or find their ancestral heritage. Using both the Y-Chromosome and Mitochondrial DNA people can use DNA testing to establish ancestral lines (both remain unchanged for generations). Now, technology is improving and recent advancements have been made in using non-sex chromosomes for ancestral research.
4. Prenatal genetic tests can help doctors determine whether or not the unborn fetus are predisposed to have certain health problems.
5. DNA tests are also used to help solve murders and other crimes. In recent years, many unsolved mysteries have been solved due to new and better types of analysis, as well as clearing many people found guilty of crimes that they did not commit.
6. DNA testing finds great use in the health field as DNA sometimes is the cause of rare medical conditions or heritable diseases.
7. Genetic testing is used in healths checks. For example it can be used to help determine the presence of viruses or cells that have mutated (causing cancer).
8. DNA tests are often used to reunite lost siblings or families or identify remains of the unknown. The genetics of a person leaves an indelible mark and this is used by police, military and authorities, as well as individuals to confirm relationships.
9. DNA tests on new species, or on material from outer space, help scientists and researchers determine the origins of a species and where they stand with reference to known living forms.
There are even more applications then the 9 mentioned, but this might give you a glimpse into the basic importance of our genetic relationship with ourselves and our surrounding. So, on April 25th, celebrate DNA Day!
- By Briana Rogers
In 2006 and 2007 there was a big push to create genetic passports for, plants, animals, microorganisms and even people this now seems to be a dream of the past. What happened to genetic passports? Why was there so much interest in them? How were they going to be used?
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By Brooke Hayles
How do you define DNA testing? It is specified testing that looks for the absence or presence of DNA sequences? Your genetic information is carried inside every cells nucleus.
Deoxyribonucleic acid is the scientific name for DNA. DNA determines the cells behavior, function, and structure. What is great about DNA is that not only can it tell the identity of a person, and their relationship to others, but it can also give information about four thousand genetic conditions and diseases. Because DNA testing is becoming cheaper, it is becoming a popular form of testing.
There are many uses of DNA testing.
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Autism is a brain development disorder and the behaviors of those who have autism range from: hindered or impaired social interaction and communication; repetitive behavior such as hand-flapping, body rocking or head rolling; compulsive behavior such as arranging objects according to size, shape or color; the dislike of change; ritualistic behavior; all the way though self-injury; most of which starts before a child is three years old.
Up to date, diagnosis has always been based on behavior – the child must exhibit at least six symptoms, such as lack of social or emotional reaction, repetitive use of language, problems with all types of communication and a fixation with objects.
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Pros and Cons of Prenatal DNA Paternity Testing (Pre-birth DNA)
There are currently only two reliable methods of prenatal, prebirth DNA Paternity or genetic testing – Amniocentesis and Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS). Both are also more typically used to detect birth defects with the fetus. There is generally quite a bit of confusion about both methods of testing. Please allow us to explain:
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For years, pregnant and nursing women have been warned to limit the amount of fish they eat, because many marine species may contain high levels of mercury, which endangers development in newborns and fetuses. Recently, National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, a children’s health group challenged the conventional wisdom, they are advising pregnant women and nursing mothers to eat more fish so as to ensure optimal brain development in their babies.
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Baby Gender, Genetic Disorder, Paternity Test After Just 5 Weeks: Research Holy Grail or Illusion?
A blood test that can determine the gender and genetic abnormalities in a unborn baby as early as five weeks has proven to be successful according to Dutch researchers. The researchers claim that the test has almost 100 per cent accuracy in determining the fetus’s gender.
The blood test uses the mother’s plasma to extract Genetic information about their unborn baby. The test can be used to determine if the unborn baby carries specific genetic abnormalities, such as muscular dystrophy, this test can be conducted shortly after conception.
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By Alex Blake
DNA testing is done for many different reasons. DNA evidence can link an alleged criminal to a crime scene. DNA paternity and maternity testing can identify a child’s father or mother. DNA relationship testing can determine if two individuals are full or half siblings. DNA ancestry testing can determine ethnic origins and genealogical roots.
How DNA testing is done depends on the results desired and the samples available. DNA fingerprinting (or profiling as it’s also known) is the process of analyzing and comparing two DNA samples. Only identical twins have the exact same DNA sequence, everyone else’s DNA is unique. This makes DNA the perfect way to link individuals to each other or to locations where they have been.
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Raising Your “Spirited Child”, Without Going Off The Parenting Deep End!
By Kelly
Nault Matzen Over 200 pairs of eyes are glued to me as a spirited child screams, “ORDER ME MY MEAL NOW!” This child has refused to order his own hamburger (as he has done many times before) and when I calmly tell him he can either order it himself, or go home without his burger, he goes completely berserk. Yes, I have entered into a “food fare nightmare”—with my formidable opponent, an eight year old child. I feel my cheeks flush as public onlookers wait in complete stunned silence to see who will win—the big one or the little one?
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