DNA Testing Services
DNA testing services are institutions all over the country which specialize in DNA testing, sometimes concerning only paternity, while others can provide other tests as well. DNA testing services are usually confidential, fast and painless for the candidate, and some even offer home testing kits.
DNA Testing Services: Uses
DNA testing services can be used to determine the paternity of a child, to prove siblingship, to connect grandparents with grandchildren, to determine ancestral origin, and to trace family trees back several generations. The most common DNA test administered today is for paternity.
When a mother or a child wants to prove that a man is the child’s father, paternity testing can provide those answers. A DNA sample – usually taken from the cheek cells in the mouth using a buccal swab – is taken from both the man and the child, and the DNA structures are compared. DNA from the mother is not required, and the answers can be ready in just a few hours.
DNA testing services are also used by law enforcement agents in the pursuit of criminals. When DNA is left on a victim during the commission of a crime, the medical examiner will take a sample of the DNA and hold it until a criminal is found whose cells can be used to compare the two. Thousands of crimes have been solved through the admission of DNA testing into American courts.
DNA Testing Services: Accuracy
As far as we know, DNA testing is completely accurate, and can conclusively determine whether or not two samples are a match. In 2005, more than 200,000 DNA tests were given for the purpose of establishing paternity alone. And because DNA testing is so accurate, an established paternity can give a mother ammunition with which to collect child support payments.
DNA Testing Services: Where to Find Them
There are hundreds of different services that offer DNA testing, and they can be found all over the country. In addition to laboratories in medical examiner’s offices, there are also private businesses which offer DNA testing to the general public. Gene Tree is one of the largest such companies, and offers a wide array of DNA services.
The best way to find a DNA testing service is to research biomedical outfits in your city. You can also contact your local court system to inquire about paternity tests. You can also work through an online program, such as the Genetic Testing Laboratories, Inc., which will send you a home DNA testing kit by FedEx, alone with a FedEx pouch inside which you can send back your sample for testing.
