Paternity Testing for Child Support

Posted on | April 20, 2012 | 1 Comment

Paternity disputes seem to be rampant in this day and age and in many cases involve maintenance  payments and custody, a child support paternity test is often required by courts to show a proof of relationship; such proof will get the child all the rights as bestowed on him or her by the laws of most countries.

The Reality of Paternity in This day and Age

Statistics that are accurate are hard to come by given the nature of the subject. However, depending on the country, the number of children that are not being raised by the biological father, often unwittingly, is quite high. Thus, many fathers are being confronted with the dilemma- is this child mine? Have I been paying for child support and making alimony payments for all these years for a child that is not my biological child? Have I been cheated out of money by my wife?

Of course it is not only fathers who are in a difficult situation; many single mothers have been raising a child without child support from the father- a father who refuses to accept his duties as father.

How does one rectify these situations? A child support paternity test can do much to change things and many countries acknowledge the legal power of this test over any other claims regarding paternity. However, things are not the same throughout the world; in some countries, one you have registered a father on the birth certificate, even a paternity DNA test disproving that man as the father cannot change it. Luckily, in the vast majority of Western countries being armed with a legal paternity test is a solid legal weapon.

It is not at all unusual for surprises to come at the most unexpected times in one’s life; an X girlfriend turns up demanding child support payments for a child you did not even know you had. Is it actually your child? At the point in which this happens you may already have your own family and children and such an experience can be very traumatic for everybody.

Paternity testing to solve such disputes needs to be done legally which will ensure that the results are valid and that nobody has tampered with them. In certain countries and US states, a paternity test that excludes a father from being the biological dad can stop paying support towards children and mother. Elsewhere, there may be a time-limit in which to make any paternity claims to disprove the matter. Child support paternity testing is a means of bringing fairness and solving issues- at least in most cases.

Home DNA Testing

Posted on | June 9, 2011 | No Comments

There is so much to say about DNA testing that one has to constantly try and home in on specific issues. Home DNA testing is practical, especially given the lifestyle and preferences of the people today. People ultimately want the comfort, ease and privacy as offered by home DNA tests. Of course, they also want their results to be accurate and conclusive.

How do I Do my home DNA Paternity Test?

The advantages of home DNA testing are many, including the ones mentioned in the introduction. Most DNA tests are done by using mouth swabs. You can either purchase these yourself form a pharmacy or, alternatively, you can purchase a test kit from a company offering DNA testing. They will give you a neatly packed kit with oral swabs and the instructions on how to use them and ensure you have collected your samples correctly.

Whilst in the past, DNA tests would have had to been done through a clinic or hospital, being able to do these tests from home means you are at a great advantage in terms of comfort and cost. Big DNA testing companies are many and competition is tough; you can shop around for the cheaper test but ensure that is accredited by a reputed accrediting body such as ISO or AABB.

How About my Results?

Home DNA testing refers to the fact that you can collect your samples at home. The advantages have already been mentioned; but for your results there is as yet no DNA test that you can purchase, collect your samples as well as do your results at home. A DNA test is nothing like a pregnancy test or other such home test which can be purchased from pharmacies.

Once you have collected your DNA samples with your home DNA test kit you will need to send back the samples for laboratory testing. DNA analysis is an extremely complex and scientific method. DNA tests are very accurate. For example, in the case of a paternity DNA test, you will have a clear inclusion or exclusion of paternity which will leave no doubts as to whether the alleged father is the child’s biological father or not.

. However, the entire process is extremely simple and once your DNA samples have been received by the laboratories the results are for a paternity DNA test are ready in just a couple of working days. The term home DNA testing or home DNA paternity testing is misleading because it does not actually means the entire test from sample collection to results can be carried out by yourself

What is a sibling test?

Posted on | April 20, 2011 | No Comments

A sibling test will clarify whether two alleged siblings share the same father. This test, specifically a STR test as siblings are of different sex, is done in cases where the father is unavailable for testing or deceased.

• You can do a half sibling DNA test or a full sibling DNA test

A sibling test is on of several DNA relationship tests. It is of course possible to get an exhumation and collect a DNA sample from the dead alleged father but this is extremely costly and time consuming and in some countries that laws regarding exhumations are very rigid. Technically, a paternity DNA test is always the first option to consider when the father is available for testing rather than the sibling test.

In the case in question, should the daughter of the deceased consent to the test, then scientists will draw up her DNA profile and that of her alleged half brother (we know that they do not share the same mother). Given the fact that they have different mothers, one would expect at least half of their DNA profiles not to match. If they happen to share the same father, then the other remaining half will show common genetic markers which the two siblings inherited from their father. If they do not share the same genetic markers the sibling test it would likely indicate that they are not siblings or unrelated.

Sibling DNA testing involves establishing how much common DNA is found between two alleged siblings. Including the mother’s sample is always important even if the siblings have different mothers (as is the case given above). Having the mother’s DNA sample will help map her genetic pattern and remove her share of genetic inheritance thereby leaving the genetic markers that have only been inherited from the father. This helps towards a more accurate sibling test.

Leonardo da Vinci- exhumation for DNA testing

Posted on | March 17, 2011 | No Comments

DNA testing the remains of da Vinci might tell us more about this fascinating man’s life. During the French revolution of 1789, Leonardo da Vinci’s s remains where moved from their original burial site and take to Amboise castle to be laid once again to rest.

No one has ever been able to confirm the tomb at Amboise is da Vinci’s and contains his remains; it is simply a symbolic location until DNA tests on the supposed remains within the tomb prove that the bones are da Vinci’s.

Moreover, the fact that the bones where moved in such turbulent times is already a problem. More importantly, the state of preservation of the bones is of pivotal importance. If they are well preserved the genetic information DNA tests can give will be priceless; they can track parts of the artist’s life. However, there is a chance the bones might have been reduced to dust if exposed to certain environmental conditions, like humidity and fluctuating temperatures.

Is it Da Vinci- What can DNA testing tell us?

To confirm whether the remains are da Vinci’s, analysts need to compare the DNA profiles with either living descendents of da Vinci, of which none are known, or with dead relatives of the artist. Regarding any dead relatives, there are no definitive ones known and there are no known living descendents, apart from a brother who is said to have been buried in Bologna.

If the remains provide enough DNA for forensic analysis and a DNA profile is drawn up, scientists still need another DNA sample taken from another source that allegedly belongs to the artist. This is because in order to identify the artist they need to have a match between two DNA sources allegedly belonging to the artist. One potential alternative source of DNA is to be found in Leonardo’s paintings. The artist is believed to have often licked his finger to smudge his paints to create effect. If he really did, then there will be cheek cells of da Vinci on his paintings. This is a rather long shot, but may be a feasible way of extracting DNA to create a DNA profile that can be compared with the bone fragments.

The bones will even provide insight into how the artist died, likely to be of syphilis or tuberculosis, which were rampant diseases at the time. If he died of these diseases, then the bones will show evidence.

The French authorities will not make things easy. But the leader of the group says that the only way to solve the enigma surrounding the artist’s life and his remains is by using advanced DNA testing techniques.

Leonardo da Vinci’s remains to undergo DNA testing

Posted on | February 22, 2011 | No Comments

Leonardo da Vinci -his remains to undergo DNA testing. da Vinci was a man of many talents, but who made few contributions to the many fields he investigated. To know more about him, his remains will be subject to DNA testing and carbon dating by a group of Italian scientists. DNA testing might provide answers, depending on whether there are DNA samples belonging to the artist that can be tested, but the process can be costly and time consuming.

Da Vinci left a minor opus of artistic works and was not as prolific as other renaissance painters especially considering the ripe old age at which he died. His most famous painting, The Mona Lisa, is a mysterious and captivating work to some or just a dull portrait of an androgynous woman to others. From an artistic perspective, the painting is a masterpiece as da Vinci developed and applied a new technique, known as the ‘sfumato’ which gives the Mona Lisa her peculiar smile.

The sitter of the Mona Lisa has been disputed by experts ad Nausea. Is she the wife of the silk merchant, del Giacondo? This would support the many people that refer to the painting as La Giaconda. Is the woman in the painting a self portrait of da Vinci, a man who loved cryptic codes and riddles? Leonardo’s remains are found in France, in town of Amboise in the Loire Valley. If the permits for an exhumation go ahead and his skull is intact, experts may well be able to create a digital reconstruction of da Vinci’s face. CT scans of the artist’s skull will be mandatory to help recreate the artists face and superimpose this onto the sitter in the painting to check the alignment of facial features. If there is a match, then it is very likely that the Mona Lisa is in fact, a self portrait of da Vinci himself.
DNA experts want to find out how the artist died and more importantly, whether the remains in Amboise castle are really da Vinci’s given the lack of records around the 500 years since his burial. DNA bone sample are one of the very few samples that they may be able to use. Amboise castle has turned down a previous request for an exhumation and now the Italian team will go through legal channels. But in France exhuming bodies is a complex matter and requires legal intervention by the state.
Part ii is to come and will delve further into the story of DNA testing on Leonardo da Vinci’s Remains

DNA Paternity Testing Myths

Posted on | January 11, 2011 | No Comments

Here are some of the most common myths which are commonly associated with paternity tests. It is best to set things straight and clarify these common misconceptions.

DNA Testing is costly

There is no need to spend a fortune on a paternity test. In many euro zone you can get the test for around 250€ and in the US you can purchase a DNA paternity test or test de paternitè for less than 200$. So it is not so much about cost, but about the quality of your test. Since with DNA testing there is nothing tangible about quality, you need to look out for accreditation.  Make sure the labs doing the test are accredited. You can find many companies offering accredited tests for the above figures cited.

A little note on the cost of a paternity test: the cost of a peace of mind paternity test is much less than the price of a paternity test for legal purposes. For a legal test you will have to follow a different DNA sampling procedures and added procedures which will push up the cost.

The paternity test is bound to be painful

Gone are the days when a blood withdrawal was needed for to get a blood DNA sample for a home paternity test. An even then, an injection to take blood is not in itself painful- it is really mostly in the head (unless you are overweight and multiple punctures are required to find your vein). Nowadays, taking a sample for a paternity test can be done with a simple buccal mouth swab; rub the swab inside the mouth and voila you have you DNA sample.

The alleged father has passed away or is not available for the test

In this case, it does not mean that paternity cannot be established. There are so many options that can be taken. If the father is dead, you can get DNA samples from the body- this depends on whether he has been buried or not. Whichever the case, buried or not, DNA samples can still be taken. If this is not an option, perhaps testing relatives can be done, an aunt or an uncle or grandparents. Even better, you can do a sibling DNA test to determine whether 2 siblings have a father in common.

There is just so much to say about paternity testing myths and misconceptions; the list goes on and on. A simple call to a DNA testing company and you can have all your thoughts settled easily and can go ahead with your DNA paternity test.

Genetic Health Testing

Posted on | December 23, 2010 | No Comments

You should well consider a genetic health test for you. Genetic health tests are a great way to know more about your genes and the diseases they may carry and how to try and avoid developing the diseases.

Health genetic testing, sometimes referred to as genetic predisposition tests or even DNA health testing, will tell you about hereditary or autoimmune diseases that you may be predisposed to. Parents might be interested in doing this test for their children; perhaps you may find out your child has a high probability of developing lung cancer or diabetes’s and you can thus, begin by taking certain steps: a change of diet, a change of environment, avoiding smoking around the house.

These genetic tests are generally done by healthy individuals who just wish to know more. The results can tell you whether you are at high risk or not. Importantly, just because you have a predisposition to an illness, it does not mean you might actually ever develop the diseases but some people still prefer putting themselves on the safe side by doing all they can to avoid the illness.

Of course, for some illnesses there may be little you can do and just hope you do not develop it, but on the whole there are often minor changes which may help.

Why would I want a genetic health test?

• If there is a history of an illness in your family, well then it may well be one good reason to do this test.
• If you begin to show symptoms that are associated with a genetic disorder.
• You may be worried that you may pass on a hereditary condition to your child.

Here are some of the diseases your genetic health test may tell you about; they are divided into categories.

Immune diseases: these include psoriasis and multiple sclerosis.

Cardiovascular conditions: these include heart diseases and atrial fibrillation

Cancers: these include bladder cancer and colorectal cancer

Remember, genetic health testing can show you susceptibility for a disease or a predisposition, you may never develop it.

Amelogenin Sex Gene and Paternity DNA Tests

Posted on | December 9, 2010 | No Comments

What is the amelogenin sex gene and why is it important for your paternity DNA test? Let’s begin by saying what you already know: paternity testing is the most reliable and accurate means to date of determining paternity.

With an inclusion for paternity in excess of 99.99% and exclusion of 100% if the tested man is not the biological father the accuracy of paternity testing couldn’t be better. We know that parents pass on their genes to their children. The fact that a father or mother shares common genes with their child makes maternity and paternity tests possible.

Scientists carrying out these tests and by comparing the DNA (genes are found on chromosomes which make up our DNA) of father and child they can know if the man in question is the biological father. However, since our DNA contains tens of thousands of genes, scientists only test very specific locations on our genes which we call genetic markers.

The Amelogenin Sex Gene

As the name clearly suggest, this is one of the genes that determines whether we are male or female. However, this gene is not exclusive to either gender and is in fact present on both the male and the female chromosome. However, when DNA is analyzed, the male chromosome (the Y chromosome) shows a much shorter peak than the amelogenin on the X chromosome.

Why is this sex gene tested in a paternity DNA test?

Well to do a paternity test (test de paternitate) you need to submit saliva sample using oral swabs. Each person’s swabs have to be packed in a separate paper envelope and labeled accordingly. However, there is chance of human error; test participants make mistake. They sometimes mislabel swabs or place them in the wrong envelope. Thus, for example, in the envelope labeled “mother’s samples” they will place the father’s swabs. Testing the amelogenin sex gene means that DNA analysts will immediately realize there is an error and that swabs have been misplaced.

Your paternity test result (see sample paternity test result) will clearly show the amelogenin sex gene and it will be represented by either an XX (for female) or XY (for male).

When doing an infidelity DNA test, one of the first things you might want to find out is if a suspicious stain you found belongs to a male or a female. Do not always assume partners are cheating with someone of their opposite sex.
As we have seen, testing the amelogenin sex gene is important in paternity testing as well as other DNA tests.

Will Lil Wayne be taking a Paternity Test?

Posted on | November 15, 2010 | No Comments

Another celebrity who might be taking a paternity test: Lil Wayne. Names of famous people consistently make the headlines amidst cases requiring paternity DNA tests to be solved.

Known as Dwayne Michael Carter, Lil Wayne born in New Orleans, Louisiana, entered the Hip Hop scene at just nine years of age- this is when he joined the record Label Cash Money Records and was the youngest member on this label.
Recently, A Missouri woman has come forward.

She claims that her child was fathered by the Hip Hop artist back in 2002. However, the star has been incarcerated for a while and thus, going ahead with the paternity test has been an issue. The Judge has in fact postponed the paternity DNA test till after the prison sentence is over and Lil Wayne out of prison.

Lil Wayne has served 8 months for possession of weapons. He was originally given a whole year sentence but this was then reduced to 8 months. The Hip Hop star has already 4 children of his own. His first daughter born when he was just 15 years of age to Toya Carter whom he went on to marry in 2004; the marriage did not last too long and ended just two years later in 2006.

The results of Lil Wayne’s paternity test have not yet been announced. The mother’s name has not been announced.

Y Chromosome Testing

Posted on | October 19, 2010 | No Comments

Y chromosome testing falls under relationship DNA testing. Relationship tests are used to establish various types of biological relationships between alleged relatives. The Y chromosome test is used specifically between males as it is only males who carry this chromosome.

Humans have two sex chromosomes; females have XX chromosome pairs and males have XY chromosome pairs. Each of us has 23 of these pairs though it is possible for some people to have chromosomal disorders in which people have more than 46 chromosomes.

Only males have the Y chromosome and it is this chromosome that is involved in the development and characteristics of the male sex. Some genes are unique to each of the X or Y chromosome but there are certain genes which are found on both, such as, for example, the amelogenin sex gene. These regions which are found on both chromosomes are called pseudoautosomal regions. The total number of genes we have in our body is somewhere between 20,000 and 25,000.

When is the Y chromosome test used?

The Y chromosome test is used in cases in which two males want to know whether they share the same father. In this case, a Y-chromosome test will trace their profiles and if the two profiles match, then the test can conclude that they are at least half brothers and share the same father.

When doing a Y-chromosome test instead of a paternity DNA test there is one main issue to consider: if the two males being tested think they may be related from the father’s side but not be actually brothers (perhaps first cousins) the test becomes redundant. Y chromosome testing will tell you that you share the same paternal line but not that you share the same father unless males being tested can exclude other possibilities of relationship between themselves other than siblings.

The test can also be used in genealogy and ancestry testing; the Y chromosome remains relatively unchanged from one generation to the next and thus, the Y chromosome test is a good way of tracing male lineage and establishing the existence of relationships even between relatively distant relatives.
Sampling for DNA tests nowadays can simply be done using an oral mouth swab. The DNA sampling for a Y chromosome test can also be done in this simple way.

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