I have been reading headlines about DNA Testing and baseball for a couple of weeks.  Apparently, the MLB has been faced with the need to do DNA relationship testing in the cases of potential players from Latin America.  But why?  I mean I understand drug testing, but I needed to do a little more digging to understand this new screening process.

Apparently there have been problems in the recruiting process in the Domincan Republic regarding age claims.  “How does DNA testing help determine age?” you might ask.  I asked the same thing knowing that it could not.  Apparently, paternity and maternity tests are done to determine if someone is in fact the child of the alleged parents as claimed.  They also run occasional bone scans to help determine an age range.

In an article I read that the Yankees voided a contract with a potential player after he did not pass the DNA testing.  It doesn’t go into great details.  The player was claiming to be 16.  This whole thing is strange to me.  Maybe I don’t understand all that goes into recruiting a baseball player from a foreign country.  I am curious how old the player turned out to be, this detail was not mentioned.

There have been more than a few eyebrows raised at MLB using DNA testing as a resource in these recruiting investigations.  As DNA analysis becomes more advanced the information we can discover far surpasses potential relationships.  DNA can now be used in part to search for potential future medical issues.  I can definitely see the concern in a career like athlete being discriminated against with these types of test results.

And when the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 which goes into effect on November 21 of 2009 it will be unlawful to request the DNA of an employee or future employee.  There are likely loopholes for this clause in the law, but it puts my concerns at ease for now.

Hope that answers some questions for people who may have been confused by headlines like me.  If you want to contact me for questions, post ideas, or anything else feel free to leave a comment or follow me on twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/askkate

I have been tinkering with this site all day and thought it was time to share.  It covers a lot of random information about genetics to help make sense of a complex science.  It includes great articles about the ethics of stem cell research and more.  It also has interactive tools to see the likelihood of having certain eye colors in your family.

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!

I have been reading a lot in the news about celebrity paternity testing (links generated by my Google alerts for paternity test), and I found a few articles about DNA Testing in cattle.  As a little bit of a science geek it intrigued me.  Thought I would share my findings.

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?

Today I stumbled upon an article on the Time’s website.  Thought I would pass on the link.  http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1905706,00.html It is amazing to me how far we have come in such a short time.  DNA Testing has become necessary for not only criminal cases, but paternity and child support cases around the globe require a conclusive DNA Paternity Test.

The history of DNA Testing for paternity cases is just as rich, and IDENTIGENE has expanded that history by bringing peace of mind testing to pharmacies near you.  When I started working here in March of 2006 I never would have guessed that we would be in every major pharmacy in such a short time.  What is next?

Just a short post for an announcement. After a few months of down time, I have relaunched the message board forum on DNATesting.com.    I would love to start seeing posts from customers and non-customers who have questions about Paternity and other DNA Testing.  This is just another avenue for people to discuss all the things that come up with DNA Testing.

As always if there are any questions, concerns, or feedback feel free to comment.

You can also follow me on twitter.com (@askkate) or friend me on facebook.com search for Ask Kate in Utah.

Have a great weekend, and I look forward to hearing from everyone.

Today on Fox News it was reported that two fraternal twins came from different fathers.  How you may ask?  I recommend reading the article for more details on this part, it is a great read.  My main question was not about the how but about another detail they mentioned.  You see, in the article they also state this is a DNA rarity.  This idea sounded strange to me.  I knew I had heard about this happening before.  I decided to ask our associate lab director, David Einum, if he knew more.

He stated that in recent years he had reported more cases involving this phenomenon, and not likely because it is happening more frequently, mind you.  Rather, he feels that the rise in the volume of paternity and other relationship DNA tests performed across America has increased the commonality of finding this and other DNA rarities. At IDENTIGENE we have seen this increase of paternity tests, and our volume of other testing has increased as well.  We feel that this is due in part to the release of our DNA Paternity Kit at retails stores nationwide.  On May 11, 2009 announced more information on this new way of doing business in this fast paced and growing field.

Still curious about how this all works?  If you have any questions about paternity or DNA please feel free to comment, email me directly at kstyer@identigene.com, or call 801-462-1465. If I do not know the answer myself I will find the answer and get back to you.

We are working on releasing more ways to connect to other people who have similar questions. Stay tuned to the DNA Community section of our website.

Also, you can follow me on twitter (@AskKate) or facebook by searching for Ask Kate in Utah.

No, this is not something we offer, nor is it something we plan to offer.  However, I have been hearing more and more about this, and so I went searching for more information.

I found a few videos, and I was intrigued at the level of interest I found.  Apparently, the DNA test is supposed to be able to tell you the breed of your dog.  I found a few skeptics out there. I am really interested about the science behind all of this, but I cannot find much as far as that goes.    Has anyone used this type of test?  What did you think? I don’t have a dog, or I think I would try it out myself.

Believe it or not this is a question that comes up a lot.  Most people are extremely concerned that results will be incorrect if the two alleged fathers in the case are related.  I am writing this to clarify why this possibility is extremely unlikely.

Sometimes when people are asking about this they are asking about alleged fathers who are only cousins.  Whether they are first cousins or a relationship more distant this type of relationship is distant enough that the DNA they do have in common will not cause any type of conflict with a paternity test.  So, in this type of scenario there is no need to be overly concerned if both fathers cannot be tested.

People will also call about two alleged fathers who are brothers.  The possibility of this causing problems with the results of a paternity test is higher but not by a lot.  Two people who are full brothers still have very unique DNA profiles.

It is extremely unlikely that two people who are only siblings would match the same child at all the markers tested for paternity.  In a paternity test we generally test fifteen markers and in order to be considered the father one must match at all fifteen. 

To ensure the most accurate  results possible we recommend including both alleged fathers and the biological mother whenever feasible.  This will give us all the opportunity to exclude the correct father and provide ensure the most accurate and complete results. 

If we are not able to test both alleged fathers its important to let us know when you send in the samples that the other alleged father is a brother to the one being tested.  This way we know ahead of time that there may be some markers in common that may not be the case if the alleged fathers were not related.

The only exception to this rule is when the alleged fathers are identical twins.  In this scenario DNA testing will not be able to indicate which of the alleged fathers is in fact the biological father of the child.  So, I hope that this blog helps sets a few fears straight.  If not please feel free to email me at kstyer@identigene.com or call at: 801-462-1465.

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?