The Blog of Science

The last decade has witnessed the most impressive advancements in genetic technology. The proposal of deciphering the complete sequence of the human genome some 16 years ago has unleashed an “arms race” between public and private ventures with no precedent in life sciences. In an implacable battle to publish the first draft of the complete human genome, a multi-national, publicly funded consortium and a large biotech company owned by the billionaire Craig Venter spend billions in developing new technologies that allow rapid and accurate sequencing of DNA. This brought enormous benefits for biological and medical research, and allowed for better treatments and diagnostic tools.

Genetic testing is one of the fields that greatly benefited from these outcomes. As we know from famous TV series, today is possible to finger out a criminal by analyzing a single hair or a tiny drop of saliva. A more widespread application of this technology is that of paternity testing. A doubtful father can easily order a DNA testing kit, take a sample of himself and his child and send it out to a DNA testing facility. In a matter of days, he will receive a report confirming of ruling out his biological fatherhood on that child.

Although establishing paternity is the most frequent reason for having a DNA test done, there are many other applications. For example, it is also possible to determine other familiar relations such as brother/sisterhood, maternity, paternity when the alleged father is not available and so on. People can also have a detailed analysis about their ethnic and genealogical background. These kinds of tests are often made out of curiosity, but sometimes they can be very helpful. It is frequent that people are excluded from certain benefits that are intended for a specific ethnic group, such as Native Americans because they cannot demonstrate their ancestry. DNA testing is an effective and conclusive way to prove a person’s ethnic ancestry.