July 23, 2007

Popular applications of DNA testing

DNA testing refers to a wide range of methods aimed to discover certain features of a person by means of analyzing DNA. Most applications of DNA testing are reserved for biologists, geneticists and medical science researchers and are steadily but silently contributing to improve our life quality. There are, however, some uses of the DNA technology that are being increasingly popular as they deal with issues that are very sensitive to the public opinion.

Probably the better known is paternity testing. This kind os study allows to know if a person is the parent of a child beyond any reasonable doubt. DNA paternity testing is routinely employed for many reasons, but we usually learn about it when celebrities are involved in one or other kind of scandal that require the use of legal paternity tests to establish paternity over a kid.

Forensic DNA testing is employed by police investigators as a crucial tool to solve crimes. DNA testing can precisely determine whether a person was in a crime scene, touched an object such as a gun, or had contact with a victim.

One of the newest applications of DNA analysis is the baby gender prediction test. By looking at a drop of blood from a pregnant woman, the test can determine if the unborn baby is a boy or a girl with high accuracy. The advantage over existing methods such as cvs, amniocentesis or ultrasound is that the DNA based test is safe, affordable and can be used as early as the 6th week of pregnancy.

Genetic science surprises us with new and amazing applications. This is one if the areas where reality overpasses fiction.