DNA paternity testing is what most people think of when they hear the words "DNA testing." Most of the time, we hear this word on TV talk shows or maybe in TV courtrooms.
Fatherhood is what paternity means. When a paternity testing lab uses genetic testing to prove that an alleged father is the biological father of a child, this proves paternity. These DNA paternity tests are done according to the law. When the same methods and standards show that an alleged father is not the biological father, this shows that paternity is not true.
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the genetic material in your cells that controls how your hair colour, eye colour, build, bone density, and many other traits are passed down. DNA is something that looks like a long, thin string. A string or strand of DNA that is one foot long can usually fit into a space about the size of a cube with a side that is one millionth of an inch. DNA is important for not only the human body but also for most other living things, such as plants, animals, and bacteria.
Every cell with a nucleus has 46 chromosomes, except for the sperm from a man and the egg from a woman, which each only have 23 chromosomes. At the time of conception, each person needs 46 chromosomes to be made. So, a person gets half of his or her DNA from his or her biological mother and half from his or her biological father.
Each cell in our bodies has a full copy of our DNA. There are cells in the brain, the liver, the blood, the sperm, and other places. Basically, every part of the body is made up of these tiny cells, and each one has a sample or complement of DNA that is the same as that of every other cell in the same person.
The only people who have the same DNA are twins. DNA paternity testing is the most powerful kind of testing because it is so specific, just like a fingerprint. The DNA test for paternity is a lot more than just a blood test. It can be done on a much wider range of samples, such as blood cells, cells from the cheek, tissue samples, and semen. Because blood types like A, B, O, and Rh are more common in the general population, it is harder to tell people apart than with DNA paternity testing. Most DNA test results are 10 to 100 times more accurate than what the courts require.
Years ago, DNA testing had to be done in a lab. Now, there are many types of DNA tests that can be done at home. You can buy these DNA test kits in person, by mail, or on the Internet. The price of these DNA tests for your home depends on what you want to find out. You can even find a free DNA test with a little work. Most kits for testing DNA at home are pretty much the same and easy to use. For example, a simple DNA paternity test kit that is easy to use may cost around $200. People often use this low-cost DNA test kit to prove paternity to a father who doesn't believe it or just to get confirmation and peace of mind.
For about $225, you can get a DNA test that is more accurate than the basic DNA test kit by more than 10 times. People who aren't sure who the father is and want a more accurate result than the basic DNA test kit often use this kit. Again, this is popular with people who want that extra accuracy rating to feel safe.
There is a DNA test kit with a higher accuracy rate for people who want the best and are willing to pay for it. This lets the parties get an impressive level of accuracy that very few labs in the world can offer. Remember that DNA testing is 99.999 percent accurate on its own. The higher costs are due to the lab and the fact that this type of test is more accurate.
In another home DNA test, the mother, the child, and the man who is thought to be the father will all be tested. It will cost about $300 to do this. The mother doesn't have to be tested, but it's a good idea if she's around (the price is the same). DNA paternity tests are so accurate that they can be done even if the mother isn't there.
Along with paternity testing, the legal DNA test is often used to help with things like changing birth records, immigration, and figuring out who gets what. This legal DNA test could cost around $400.00 on average. How much these kits cost depends on how many people you want to test. Like mother, father, and the number of children. Costs range from $150.00 to $175.00 per test for each additional child.
Each of the above DNA test kits works almost exactly the same way. For more accurate tests, more parts of each person's DNA need to be checked. This extra work gives more information and more accuracy, which is why the accuracy rating is higher and more impressive.
With the home DNA test kit, it's best to take samples and send them to the lab no more than two weeks apart (for best results). Samples that were up to a year old were tested and turned out to be good.
DNA paternity tests can be done on people of any age. People older than 6 months used to be the only ones who could be tested. This was mostly because it was hard to get blood from small babies. Also, a large sample was needed, which was usually two big tubes of blood. A small child would have a hard time with this. No longer is this true. In fact, DNA testing can be done for paternity and custody issues using cheek swabs or umbilical cord blood taken at birth. This makes testing quick and accurate, no matter what age the person is. Since the DNA in every cell of the body is the same, testing with cheek cells from a swab is just as accurate as testing with blood. Using a buccal swab and a gentle massage of the inside of the mouth, the sample is taken. This sample can be used to get DNA. This procedure does not hurt and does not hurt. This is how the home DNA test kit works.
DNA paternity testing, on the other hand, only needs a few drops of blood (about 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon) or cheek cells from a swab of the mouth. Using a cheek swab to get a small amount of blood makes it easier to test newborns and babies. Since DNA is set at conception, a paternity test can be done through Chorionic Villi Sampling (CVS) or Amniocentesis before the baby is born.
Post-mortem samples taken by the coroner's office can also be used for DNA paternity testing. You can do a paternity test on a person who is dead or missing by putting together his or her DNA pattern from samples taken from the person's biological relatives.
A DNA test is the most accurate way to find out who the father is. If the DNA patterns of the child and the alleged father don't match on two or more DNA probes, the alleged father is 100% ruled out as the child's biological father. This means that he has a 0% chance of being the child's biological father.
