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.

DNA technology at home

Technology has change the way we live at an overwhelming pace. However, few areas have advanced so impressively as molecular biology. Nobody ignores how much medicine has improved as a result of research done in the last few decades, considerably enhancing our quality of life. Aside from that, DNA technology has produced lots of tool and “gadgets” that turn up very useful at some instances of everyday life. Gene DNA Test is a website that connects us with many of the interesting applications of DNA technology. DNA-based tests to accurately establish paternity and easy ways to find out your ethnic background, including the proportion of Native American and/or African American ancestry running through your blood. Learn how an unexpected discovery led to develop a home test that can tell you the gender of your unborn baby by looking at the DNA in the mother’s blood. These and more affordable DNA tools are waiting for you at Gene DNA Test.

Are paternity tests %100 accurate?

The accuracy of DNA paternity testing is a question that many people asks when looking into having a DNA test done. Although no test can ever be 100% accurate, the importance of this relies on how confident you can be on the result, or how likely is that the paternity test results will resolve your paternity doubts.

Two kinds of results are involved in a paternity test. The first is called exclusion, which means that the individual being tested is excluded from being the biological father of a child. The paternity test revealed that the DNA of the person was not similar enough to the DNA of the child to consider him as the father. Exclusion results are almost always conclusive. If a man is excluded from being the father, the only possible scientifically relevant explanation is that he is not.

Inclusion of paternity are a different thing. Probability and likelihood of being the father are always considered here. Although no test can achieve 100%, the DNA analysis are carried out in such a way that at least 99% probability is obtained, although some DNA labs achieve 99.99% certainty that a child is the father.

The accuracy of a DNA test depends on how many markers (or loci) are tested on the DNA of the alleged father and child. More markers or loci means more accuracy, and fewer chances for error.

The most accurate DNA tests employ at least 13 to 16 loci or markers. Tests that use less than 13 markers still provide reasonably high levels of confidence, but the difference in the price of the test does not justify choosing the cheaper, less accurate tests.

Although %100 accuracy is technically not possible, 99.99% is considered a perfectly conclusive result. This level of accuracy can be obtained through testing a larger number of genetic markers and good DNA testing labs usually test 16 of such genetic loci. Always look for accredited DNA labs to clear up your doubts confidently.