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?

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.

I am sure that we have all heard of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin.  Written almost 150 years ago, it is considered to be one the paramount pieces on evolution.  We have since developed theories of evolution based on this book.  We believed that evolution to be a long process that can take numerous generations and will be based on more than the parent’s environment and experiences.

What some people may not know is of the theories of his contemporaries.  One such theory was developed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.  This theory now called Lamarckism stated that evolution could be directly impacted by an organism’s parent’s experiences.  His theory specifically was in reference to giraffes and their long necks. 

While this example may not be the best of this theory, the theory itself is being reconsidered after numerous findings by biologists around the world.  After reading an article in Newsweek, I was intrigued by the idea that a parent’s environment and experiences may in fact directly impact a child’s traits that it inherits. 

As an example the article discusses a species of water flea that gains a spiny helmet if their mother had an experience with predators before conceiving.  If not her off spring would not have these spiny helmets.  The DNA of both types of water flea being the same.  This type of trait by Darwin’s theories would have taken numerous generations to develop.

DNA, genetics, and inheritance are all topics that intrigue me.  As a DNA Testing consultant I try to keep up with what is being discovered in the scientific community.  This new finding blows much of what I studied in high school and college out of the water.  I am excited to see what may come out of this research.  I am curious to see how humans are directly impacted by the experiences of their parents. 

However this research turns out there is one thing that will remain true.  The DNA that determines relationships is not directly impacted by these types of findings.  You cannot change the markers that indicate relationship simply by eating more greens or even doing hard drugs.  So, no need to be concerned with your results changing based on this type of information.  I am curious to hear what everyone has to say about this.  Please leave a comment or email me directly at: kstyer@identigene.com