Establishing Paternity by DNA Testing
Paternity and other biological relationships are identified by analysing individuals' DNA through DNA testing. This section discusses the basics of human genetics and how DNA tests are performed by our laboratory to establish paternity and other biological relationships.
DNA and Genetics
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the genetic material that makes you who you are and makes paternity testing possible. It is the blueprint from which you were made - your features, your personality, your habits, your likes, your dislikes, etc. It is found in almost every cell of your body and it controls everything that you do and everything that you are. DNA is passed on from generation to generation. It keeps you connected to your biological family while making you a unique individual. So how does that come about? How can you share traits with your family and not be identical to them? The secret is in how you came to be.
Every individual is made up of 23 pairs of chromosomes and is the result of the fusion of a single egg cell and a single sperm cell. When the body creates egg or sperm cells, the cells go through a division process that takes them from 23 chromosomal pairs to just 23 chromosomes (one of each). An egg cell has 1 copy of chromosome 1, 1 copy of chromosome 2, and so on. But 1 chromosome from each pair is not enough to create a human. It is not until the egg is fertilised with a single sperm cell that a human embryo is formed. The sperm cell brings with it its own copy of each chromosome. Once fertilised, the egg cell contains everything that it needs to create a new human being.
Using DNA for Paternity Testing >>
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