What is a paternity test? Most of us have probably heard that term even if we have not had in done ourselves. A paternity test performed through DNA testing is a way to see if someone is related to someone else. For example, you may do a paternity test to prove you are the father of a child.
Mothers use them to prove to men and to courts who is the father. DNA testing helps in marriages, divorces, custody cases, child support cases and more. DNA can help in the case of an adoptive child who now wants to know their birth parents. Since some adoptions may be hard to trace, a DNA test may be the only way to be certain that the two are related. Paternity testing has brought a lot of closure to many people who may have wondered about paternity of the child. It has also brought relief or answers to many children wanting to know the truth about their fathers.
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA consists of 2 different strands - each with nucleotides that form a double helix. No two people have the exact same DNA but there will be ways to determine family relations from the genes present in the DNA. DNA tests were very expensive when they first became available and were usually chosen only by court order. They not only helped in paternity tests but help solve crimes and even murders.
New DNA testing helped solve cold case files that previous investigators couldn't solve without being able to match the DNA. Now people can even get home paternity tests that usually work with a swab inside the mouth and cost about $150-200. Technology has come a long way in paternity testing and DNA tests and still is growing.
James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest. Read more at www.paternity-test-central.info
