DNA Testing: Ancestry vs. Paternity

DNA testing for ancestry is very different than a paternity test. Ancestry is looking at family history. The top companies offering this testing combine innovative DNA research with a very large and robust online family history resource to predict ethnicity and help individuals find new family members and/or connections. The genetic data can include going all the way back many generations uncovering where you came from and also identify DNA matches with other individuals. 
Results usually include data from 500 geographic regions and can identify possible relatives via DNA software matching those to others that have taken the test. Some ancestry services use a  records-based form of searching which searches historical records such as date of birth, date of death and also marriage certificates and some take a deeper look into your individual history to find out what percentage of your DNA comes from different populations around the world.
Paternity testing is a very different form of testing. It uses DNA profiles to tell if someone is a biological parent of another. It is many times used to determine who a father is and used in many legal proceedings. If a child’s paternity is in doubt, it can affect who is responsible for the legal rights and duties. Paternity testing can also show a connection to who grandparents are. Genetic paternity testing is the most consistent form of testing used and current methods used are polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Paternity testing can be performed on a mother that is still pregnant. 
Paternity can be established within the first 72 hours after a child’s birth by both parents completing and signing a Paternity Affidavit at the hospital. This is the easiest way to establish a legal relationship between the child and the father. Although paternity DNA Testing has high accuracy percentages, there is a small possibility that a genetic mutation may lead to an inaccurate test result. In various instances, genetic mutations can occur without causing any effects on a person. But in the case of paternity testing, a genetic mutation may lead to a false positive. It is possible that a mutated DNA strand could result in an inconsistency between a child’s DNA test and a father’s DNA test. The results would show they aren’t a match. The paternity test utilizing PCR and RFLP methods is currently the most accurate reliable technology we currently have available to us.

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