In the years that I have offered support to DNA Paternity Test clients I have given out hundreds of results.  The reaction to the results can be anywhere on a wide spectrum of emotion.

I have heard cries of joy, eruptions of anger, and absolute silence to both possible results.  People constantly surprise me in their reactions. In these times I work to be as sensitive as possible to how impactful the next words out of my mouth will be for the customer.

At IDENTIGENE we are working to make this process as streamlined, accurate, and reliable as possible.  A long with the science side of things our client support team is always striving to be knowledgeable, understanding, and sensitive.  We hear many people’s stories of what brought them to this moment and where they may go from here.

We are now sponsoring a new website to provide a space for people to share stories of ALL kinds.  We have posted many stories so far of individuals who have dealt with the worries of adoption, those searching for their fathers through impossible odds, and many others.  We would like our customers to feel free to share their stories of DNA testing and how these moments have impacted their lives.

You can find this website at:  www.MyStoryRelated.com.  I hope that you enjoy the stories told there, and that maybe a few of you feel inspired to share a story of your own.

I am sure that by now everyone has heard about the case of Alfie Patten 13 year old father.  His initial interview with The Sun can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q_bib2j8_w

Days after the story broke additional alleged fathers chimed in that they in fact were the baby’s father.  When I think back to being thirteen I cannot even contemplate this kind of drama in my own life or the lives of my friends.

Although sadly, I do not believe that stories like these are completely uncommon.  Children(minors) are having children all the time.  I work with many customer’ who are parents and are new grandparents at what some may say are youthful ages themselves.  I am not sure if it is a commentary on society or how we are raising our children, but a story like this with all of its publicity may be the catalyst to start a very important conversation.

In other paternity news Luther Campbell of 1980’s 2 Live Crew was arrested in early February for a little over $10, 0000 in unpaid child support.  While the report does not mention it, I am certain DNA Paternity Testing was preformed to ensure he was infact the father of this child. Now, there are many upset mother’s who believe their unpaid child support deserves the same punishment. 

So, why does Campbell’s $10,000 superceed other mother’s claims?  I don’t actually know, but my best guess would be the courts believe Campbell may be able to pay this amount while other fathers may sit in jail indefinately unable to pay the amounts they owe.  Any thoughts on these topics?

I have been reading about Autism and Aspergers syndrome for a few weeks now.  For those who are not familiar Aspergers is considered, currently, to be a mild form of Autism. I don’t have words for why this specific social disorder has caught my eye, except for seeing Mary and Max at Sundance this year.  Soon after seeing this, I met a gentlemand with Asperger’s and started reading a novel written by someone who has been diagnosed as well.

I have found myself fascinated by the various descriptions people have used in their own words. I have wanted to write here about Asperger’s syndrome, but I have been contantly afraid of not doing it justice. 

One thing that definately interested me was whether this was hereditary.  As, I read the descriptions it is incredible familiar.  I wonder about people I know or have known in my life that are so similar to these people and characters.  While there is no definitive information as to its hereditary links, it is my belief that something like this would tend to be hereditary. 

I found this partial documentary on youtube.com and decided this is puts it better than I would ever be able.  I hope that you enjoy.  As always I welcome your feedback.

We all remember in the late nineties, 1997 to be exact, when Scottish scientists proclaimed they had successfully cloned a sheep.  They named her Dolly.  At the time I was 14, and I began to think of the ethical repercussions of where this may take us.  I was a strange kid I guess, but I began to look a little closer at what may be next.

Long before this scientists have been interested in cloning and have successfully cloned various things.  Most commonly they have cloned only the actual DNA of an organism, but not the organism itself.  Before Dolly was born scientists were able to successful clone embryos, but not bring those embryos to term.

In just the last few years we have expanded beyond research cloning and stepped into a new era, commercial cloning.  Recently, dog owners have been known to pay approximately $150,000 to clone their favorite dog. The south Florida couple who paid this amount were very excited, and when asked why they would choose to clone their pet stated, “He was a human dog.”

This lends to the question, are humans next?  If nostalgia and sentimentality will spur pet owners to spend this kind of money on a fallen dog, why not a child who died “too soon.”

On Newsweek.com yesterday, February 03, 2009, was a post about research showing that there may be no obstacales in the way of reproductive cloning of humans.

For more this mostly begs the question, “Are we ready?”  I am really unclear as to my answer on this.  I am curious what other people think.