DEMYSTIFICATION OF DNA TESTING
The creator of the universe coded life into what the modern science calls DNA. DNA is an acronym for “De-oxyribo Nucleic Acid”. A basic molecule that includes a de-oxyribose sugar on one part and a nucleic acid part. The de-oxyribose sugars include adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G) and Thymine (T). The single strand DNA strand will characteristically be expressed in text books as ACCTGAAGC in any order.
The arrival of a new born is most often greeted with exciting emotions of indescribable joy. This joy traverses the physical heart and visits the spiritual hearts of the parents and kin. All this can only be defined in the mysteries of the Heavenly realm.
In a nutshell DNA is that component in an individual that has been passed from generation to generation. However the combinations of this inter-generational DNA differs in each individual. These differences arise out of the different regions/areas that combine as the gametocyte chromosomes from the mother (XX) combine with the gametocyte chromosome from the father (XY)
The sex/gender determining chromosome is the X and Y which are part of the 23 human chromosome pairs. Where the pairing is XX, the gender of the offspring is female while a XY pairing produces a male offspring.
DNA PATERNITY TEST
The complexities of human socialization have provided situations where the paternity of an offspring is in dispute. This is in most cases an emotionally draining and potentially explosive subject that requires delicate handling for the benefit of the child, the mother and the father.
Various situations demand for the scientific determination of paternity, these include disputed father, child welfare reasons, for travel abroad, among other reasons
Two outcomes are usually revealed 99.999+% more chances of inclusion as the biological father or an exclusion. This is made possible through the generation of a DNA profile which utilizes regions of the human genome called the Short tandem repeats (STR). The size of these STR regions differ in different individuals and are transferred from parents to children. A profile will therefore be a couple of these allele pairs of each individual which when combined produces a discrimination as high as 1 in several billions of individuals.
by L.K. Muthuri,Msc.
Kinyuah Muthurih 