So you’ve heard about DNA fingerprinting, DNA paternity tests and diseases caused by mutations in DNA. But what does any of that really mean to you? Let’s start with the basics and take an easy introduction to what DNA is and how yours is different from anyone else. (more…)

There are a few genes that have been linked to increased risk of developing diabetes. However there are only two candidates that have shown really strong association with disease risk, and only one of these has a DNA test commercially available.
One of the strongest and most robust genetic links to diabetes is certain variants of a gene called ENPP1. This was discovered way back in 2005, and is unambiguously linked to obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. But in the intervening years there is still no DNA test commercially available, and it’s not clear as to why companies aren’t offering one. (more…)

Here’s an excellent video by Allison Stacy from familytree magazine outlining her experiences with DNA testing on her mitochondrial DNA. Allison gives a nice overview of the process of sample collection, but the story isn’t quite complete yet, with the results she recieves not available yet. Click through for the video (more…)

Choosing a paternity test can be a confusing ordeal. Not only is the terminology describing the ins and outs of each test complicated, but the sheer number of different tests to choose from makes it difficult to decide which one is the best for you. Couple this with the explosion of services providers over the last 5 years and it can be a daunting task just knowing where to begin. To simplify matters lets compare 14 of the more prominent paternity testing companies and some of the features that you should be considering when making your decision. We’ve analyzed these companies using 6 different criteria that we think are critical to deciding which company fits you best. Click through for the full guide to choosing the right company. (more…)

An interesting snippet of information from Anglia DNA Services as reported in the UK’s Daily Record the other day reveals that up to 1 in 3 tests performed on what was presumed to be the biological father, actually showed no relationship. While this information might sound shocking or abnormally high at first glance, it is probably quite reasonable. Parents that are compelled to seek out and submit to DNA testing do so because there is already an element of doubt regarding the child’s parentage. Most families don’t have any doubt as to the parentage of the child and never seek out paternity testing. Hence out of all the individuals that get tested there is a higher probability than an average non-tested family that the biological father may not be identified correctly by the mother.

What is more food for thought though is that the company was free to release this statistic. Obviously there is no personal information attached to this news release but it raises some questions that you might want to consider if you are looking for testing services of your own. Click for more (more…)

You’ve probably heard the term a million times in the news about criminal cases, on TV shows like CSI and Law and Order, or in high profile paternity cases or even in relation to inherited diseases and tracing your ancestry. But what is it exactly and how does it work?

First of all the DNA tests used in the above examples aren’t all the same. They all examine slightly different bits of our DNA, use different tests to it, and can tell us different things about ourselves. Click through for a easy to read summary of each of these procedures. (more…)