Paternity
Being a Father, Offering Paternity Tests
A father reflects on the experience of administering DNA tests to other fathers.
DNA Testing Helps Identify Kidnapped Newborn 55 Years Later
Familial DNA Testing Helps Identify Kidnapped Newborn After 55 Years
The Difference Between a Bio Dad and a Social Dad
Social Fathers: How Bio Dad vs Social Dad is Used In Paternity Cases
Military Bans DNA Testing Kits for Soldiers
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) recently issued a statement warning military personnel to avoid using at-home DNA testing kits offered by private heritage DNA testing companies like Ancestry and 23andMe. Although the memo doesn't go into great detail about the catalyst for the announcement, it does outline government officials' concerns that ancestry DNA tests are unregulated and produce results that are unprotected from potential abuse. Experts think the announcement is probably related to a recently published study that outlined the security flaws in public DNA databases like MyHeritage and GEDMatch.
Jeffrey Epstein’s Unidentified Children
Notorious convicted pedophile and financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while in custody in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan August 10, 2019, was a charmer of the rich and famous who committed heinous and extensive sex crimes against teens and young women. In 2008, Epstein was convicted in Florida of a lesser charge of soliciting underage girls for prostitution, though he served only a limited sentence that enabled him to continue his life with few inconveniences.
Not the Parent Expected
Health Street recently discovered that 56% of Americans have questions about their biological relationships to family members. Of those who sought DNA testing to confirm their biological relationship to other family members, over 80% waited more than a year, and 13% waited for over a decade to do family relationship DNA testing. But what happens when someone learns that the parent who raised them isn't their biological parent? With increased availability of direct to consumer DNA testing, this uncomfortable situation is becoming more common.