DNA works as a blueprint to our genetics, spelling out exactly who and what we are. Our DNA serves as a guide and by following certain connections, we can look at this blueprint and figure out certain things about ourselves. This is especially helpful in cases of legal matters, such as paternity testing. Using state of the art DNA testing, investigators can look into the building blocks of our genetic structure and figure out the undeniable truth about who we are.
Currently, the standards of DNA testing are so high that it is possible for technicians to evaluate our DNA so thoroughly that it can distinguish us as completely unique individuals. We can be identified to such an exact degree that investigators can distinguish us from every other person who has ever lived on this planet. All it requires is a single root of hair, as well. One follicle of hair left behind can register us as a unique and separate organism forever.
Our DNA resides in every nucleated cell of our bodies, making every single individual cell of our bodies belong entirely to us. While traditional blood analysis testing can differentiate us as one between thousands of people, DNA testing allows us to be identified as one between billions of people. For this reason, DNA testing is considered to be the most accurate form of identification which is available with today's technology. Considering that all that is needed for accurate DNA testing is nucleated cells, many forms of samples are available for use. Testing can be conducted on not only hair follicles, but semen, urine, and saliva as well. Unlike blood testing, DNA has a much longer life than common proteins, allowing testing on strands that not only have been exposed for periods of time, but also strands that have been tampered with by acids, salts, and other forms of bacteria contamination.
In the case of paternity testing, the DNA can accurately match two different strands to enough accuracy to either rule the paternity of one strand out beyond a doubt or to indicate that there is a very high probability about the accuracy of it. There really is no middle ground with paternity testing, we can be assured of the accuracy of the tests. There is never a 50% result with the possibility of paternity, results either indicate no chance whatsoever or a 99% assurance that the paternity is accurate. Because of this, paternity testing has been deemed accurate and legal. These tests are considered as certifiably sound as lie detector results.
DNA testing has also slowly come to be used as a means of tracing genetics. Using a single sample of our DNA, specialists can analyze the way that our DNA is built and determine how much of our DNA originated in different areas of the world. Most companies providing ancestry testing will break the world down into different regions, such as Sub-Saharan African, East Asian, European, and Native American. These tests can then identify how much of each type of region is located within our DNA, giving us a clearer picture of our roots. These tests cannot link us to any specific families or individuals throughout history, but they can provide us with a better understanding of how we may have started out and what kind of people we might have descended from. DNA testing does have a multitude of uses, both legal and entertaining, and we should really consider all of its possibilities to answer some of our questions.