To get a little personal, I had only been married for about 2 years and was 24 years old when I became pregnant (not planned). I quickly embraced my little growing bundle of joy and I thought my husband was “jogging along” right beside me. After I delivered my sweet baby girl, my husband asked the nurse, “What is her blood type?” It was B and he knew mine was O. He then mused, “I wonder what mine is?” The nurse quickly replied, “Well you better hope it’s B”. At the time, I laughed at his innocence but now when I look back, I think of what an awkward moment that would have been if there was a reason to question paternity.

Doctors we have spoken with at professional conferences say that they frequently hear this question after delivery. They interpret it as “possible paternity doubt”. In our business, we know that paternity doubts are real and according to our last survey, 1 in 10 Americans question paternity.

Blood type is a very important thing to know for many reasons aside from paternity questions. Most importantly, donating blood saves lives. If you are lucky enough to be O-, you have a universal blood type and can donate to any other blood type. AB blood types are universal donors of plasma, which is often used in pediatric emergencies. You can find out more about donating blood at http://www.redcrossblood.org/

Also, here’s a simple genetic flowchart that illustrates possible blood types and combinations passed down from biological parents to their children. http://bloodbook.com/inherited.html

Now how in the world does this relate to DNA? Well, it might be because I work for Identigene and I have become obsessed with DNA! But the movie got me thinking about my dog’s life. I’ve never tested her DNA, but I know common health problems for her breed include hip dysplasia, tumors, thyroid problems and bloat. Knowing these facts helps me decide what food and veterinary care I give her. What if you were like Pfeiffer and didn’t know your pet’s true breed or combination of breeds? There is DNA testing for mixed breed animals that answers these questions for some of the same reasons people seek out DNA testing.

Ahhh, now we’re back to paternity testing. Health and wellness are important benefits of paternity testing. If a child knows both of their biological parents, he/she can be aware of the family health history. Heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer and many other conditions can be linked to heredity. Knowledge is empowering. If we know our family’s health history, we can take preventative measures or make lifestyle changes to improve health and wellness.

Check out WebMD’s slideshow of the top 25 dog breeds and their most common health problems. http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/ss/slideshow-dog-breed-health-problems

DNA

It is thought that our ancient ancestors originated from Africa and began migrating throughout the world and adapted to new environments, thus creating distinct groups and subgroups in our DNA lineage. These ancient ancestral groupings are known as haplogroups. It is these haplogroups that allow DNA laboratories to provide people with results on their ethnic origins.
Our sister company, Sorenson Genomics, has developed a new DNA test dubbed World Wide Ancestry. World Wide Ancestry offers improved technology, enabling anyone to find answers to questions about their earliest family origins. The Sorenson Genomics team has spoken about this new technology at recent industry conferences. It will be available for purchase early next year.
The wonders of DNA never cease to amaze me. My paternity can be determined with a few cheek swabs in a matter of hours. Now, with new science breakthroughs, my DNA will provide surprising detail about my ancient relatives. I can’t wait to share test results with my mom!

I like the eye color paternity test on our site as it has more options for eye color, but the test on the site listed above explains some of the science behind it that our site does not … yet.  I hope you get a kick out of it like I did.

I especially loved learning more about genetically modified foods.

Remember for any questions about paternity testing or DNA testing in general feel free to contact me!

While this is not a service offered by IDENTIGENE, it is out there.   Apparently, DNA Testing is used in cattle farming for many reasons.  For example, a farmer may test new cattle for paternity in a multiple bull breeding pasture.   Reasons for this include determining whether a bull is not breeding as often as others or which bull is producing bulls with ‘defects.’

Other farmers have been known to test the DNA of their cattle to curb out poor traits before breeding them.  There are a few major traits being tested for currently, one is curly calf syndrome.  This type of DNA Testing is done in an attempt to ensure that only the best cattle are reproducing.

While this testing in cattle may in fact produce a better crop of cows, it is eerily familiar.  I know its a reach from cattle DNA testing to a world like GATTACA, but I always get a little curious as to how far eugenics will take our society with DNA testing in its tool box.   But then again I think too much.

Even without this theory in mind the idea that we are using this type of testing for our cattle and various crops is extremely interesting, at least to me.  Really, where will we go next?  Any thoughts or questions?

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.