What A Los Angeles Dna Testing Lab Can Offer

By Author: Larry Borsheim
Total Articles: 6
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In the past 20 years, the term ‘DNA' has become part of the American vernacular. It makes regular appearances our TV's on all the crime scene investigation shows, on our daytime talk shows with topics like Who's Your Daddy? and prominently (and more importantly) in our criminal justice system. DNA Testing Centers have sprung up around Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Most Los Angeles DNA Testing labs specialize in either Criminal DNA Testing or in Familial Relationship DNA Testing. There are also Los Angeles DNA Testing labs that test specifically for cultural ethnicity and ancestral heritage. As the use of DNA Testing in Los Angeles has become more available, the cost has come down considerably, making it a useful tool for many ordinary people who have questions about their heritage, among other things.

What is DNA? Simply put, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a nucleic acid that contains all the genetic programming needed in the functioning and development of all known living organisms. It contains two kinds of building blocks called ...
... nucleotides that form what looks like a spiral staircase in the genetic material inside all of our cells. These ‘stair step'-type structures are encoded with information in the form of chromosomes and the way each rung (or Chromosome) links together forms the basis of all of our genetic traits. It is not a completely random process. On the contrary, most of our genetic stair steps as human beings look exactly alike. But there are certain characteristics or traits that are variable and unique to each individual: eye color, skin color, hair color, facial features, intelligence, etc.

Our particular DNA is like a fingerprint. This is useful in criminal investigation. But unlike real fingerprints, Los Angeles DNA Testing Labs can take a person's DNA and trace it backward to discover things like parentage and familial relationship. These traits are passed down from our parents when their two DNA portraits combine to form a fertilized embryo.

Why would anyone be interested in this? While most of us know our families, our parents and even our grandparents, there are many people who do not.

$ Children put up for adoption, for instance, may turn to a Los Angeles DNA Testing Lab once they have uncovered a possible link to their birth families to prove a relationship.

$ Women who are pregnant but aren't sure who the baby's father is may turn to a DNA Testing Lab in Los Angeles to prove paternity. An accredited lab's findings are legally admissible in court cases and recommended if a DNA test is undertaken. This evidence will prove invaluable to the child in the future.

$ Men wishing to prove paternity can be tested by a legally accredited Los Angeles Paternity DNA Testing Lab to either be eliminated or be proven as the father.

$ Grandparents who are seeking either visitation or custody to a grandchild can be DNA tested to prove they are, indeed, related to the child. Done through an accredited DNA Testing lab, the results are admissible in a court of law.

$ Siblings can prove their relationship through Sibling DNA Testing. This can prove useful in inheritance cases and in proving common ancestry.

$ Genetic reconstruction uses the DNA samples of at least two close relatives of a potential father to prove relationship to a child. Two relatives will suffice if the mother is also donating a sample. Otherwise, three close relatives are necessary.

Chrissy Jacobs of Los Angeles found out only after her mother died that the man she'd always believed was her father was not her father. This was a blow to Chrissy, but it sent her on a quest to find her ‘other' family. After a lot of detective work, she tracked down a man in Nevada who she believed may have been her father. Unfortunately, he had died a few months before she completed her search. But he left a son, a sister and a brother behind. All three agreed to send samples to a Los Angeles DNA Testing lab to see if Chrissy was right - that they were her family. In such a case, without her mother available, the DNA Lab required three close relatives of the possible father for an accurate result. The DNA test was more than worth it. Chrissy was united with her family and began a whole new chapter with them.

Stories like Chrissy's come through the doors of DNA Testing Labs every day. Many are more complicated legal issues regarding family relationships. In today's court system, DNA evidence is admissible only if it comes from an accredited Los Angeles DNA Testing Lab where special care is taken for accurate results. If you find yourself questioning your ancestry for any reason, take care to seek out an accredited, well-respected lab that performs DNA Testing in Los Angeles with a reputation for both speed and accuracy. Results shouldn't take longer than a couple of weeks. And considering the possible impact of your search, you'll find the cost well worth it.

Author Bio:

Larry Borsheim is a freelance writer with specialized knowledge in chemistry, DNA Testing and Drug Testing. Contact Larry at dnadrugtest@gmail.com for more information.