DNA TESTING

DNA, or Deoxyribonucleic acid, is the molecule inside the cell’s nucleus that contains the genetic coding that will determine a human’s physical traits such as eye color, hair color, stature, bone density and all other traits. DNA is a long polymer that contains all the chemical information known as genes inside the nucleus. As the cells of the body divide, these DNA are replicated and are given to new cells so that each and every cell of the human body will have the exact DNA.

The genetic coding found in DNA is unique to every individual. Even identical twins have slightly different DNA coding from each other. These variations in the genetic information that is stored in DNA can be useful in identifying people or distinguishing one person from another. The use of genetic coding to determine identity is known as DNA testing. There are a lot of ways that DNA testing can help in today’s society.
     Below: this graphlike series of bars is the common visual image seen from a DNA test. Bars and their placement are all coded as computer data very precisely and can be compared to millions of other DNA profiles in only a few moments.

DNA paternity testing, for example, had helped parents to determine who the real father of a child is, if that is in question. Today, there are even home DNA test kits that can determine the genealogy of a person. People nowadays even go for dog DNA tests to settle disputes over which neighbor's pet got another's pet knocked up. 

Another way of using this genetic coding is through forensic DNA testing. Crime scene investigators use this test to find the identity of a person through the use of human body parts (hair, chipped nails, saliva or skin) that were left at a crime scene. The DNA test results are almost always accurate enough to convict a suspect.