What is DNA test?

Answer 1

a test that reads and analyses your dna from some biological sample

Answer 2

When doing a DNA test, scientist take a section of DNA (often from the blood or hair) and put an enzyme with it so that it breaks the strand of DNA up at certain locations (according to the specific coding of amino acids). After that, they put the sections in a gel electofreeze, which has a negative end and a positive end. The smaller sections are pulled farther and the larger don't travel as far along because of obvious weight difference. The scientists then look at the pattern and can match it to others.

Answer 3

A DNA test looks at two different DNA samples, and asks "how similar are they?". Human DNA is made up of about 40,000 genes distributed among 23 chromasomes. Some genes have different possibilities (hair color, height, etc.), some are present in some people but not in others.

What does all this mean? It means that no two people have exactly the same genes. Well, to prove that, you would have to analyze all 40,000 genes. Fortunately, most of them are the same, but some are very different among people.

The current trend is to look at 13 regions of DNA that contain the same DNA repeated over and over again. People are categorized by the number of repeats for each of these sections of DNA.

In forensics, you can compare these results to see if a sample taken from the scene matches a suspect. Because no two people have the same DNA (actually, it's more like it's almost statistically impossible for two people to have the same DNA), you can rule out suspects.

In determining a child's biological parents, we use the fact that we actually have two copies of every gene (one from mother, one from father). Every offspring should have a 50% match to one parent, and a 50% match to another parent. Again, this is not an exact match, but a statistical statement that it would be almost impossible for there to be another match out there in another person.

That was really long, hope it helps. I put a little tutorial I found useful when I was in school, along with a Wikipedia entry, in the source box.

The fact that this answer is so long reflects how much there is out there in the field of DNA analysis.

Answer 4

Genetic fingers, DNA testing, DNA typing, and DNA profiling are techniques used to distinguish between individuals of the same species using only samples of their DNA.

Answer 5

A genealogical DNA test involves examining the nucleotides at specific locations on a person's DNA. The tests results are meant to have no informative medical value and do not determine specific genetic diseases or disorders (see possible exceptions in Medical information below); they are intended only for use in genetic genealogy.

Procedure
The general procedure for taking a genealogical DNA test involves taking a painless cheek-scraping at home and mailing the sample to a genetic genealogy laboratory for testing. Some laboratories use mouth wash or chewing gum instead of cheek swabs. Some laboratories offer to store DNA samples for ease of future testing. All laboratories will destroy the DNA sample upon request by the customer, guaranteeing that a sample is not available for further analysis.


Types of tests
The most popular ancestry tests are Y chromosome (Y-DNA) testing and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) testing. Other tests attempt to determine a researcher's comprehensive genetic history and ethnic origins.


Y chromosome (Y-DNA) testing
A man's paternal ancestry can be traced using the DNA on his Y chromosome (Y-DNA). This is useful because the Y chromosome, like many European surnames, passes from father to son, and can be used to help study surnames.


What gets tested
Y-DNA testing involves looking at segments of DNA on the Y chromosome (found only in males). Test results will be for a combination of short tandem repeats (STRs) and/or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These genetic markers occur in what is considered "junk" DNA.

STR markers
STRs are changes to the number of times a segment of DNA which repeats. These repeating sets of nucleotides are referred to as genetic markers and are designated by a DYS number (DNA Y-chromosome Segment number).

Answer 6

How does DNA testing work? What is genetic identity?

Looking at yourself and at your friends, neighbors, and relatives, it is obvious that we are all different. These differences are attributable to the vast diversity contained in our genetic code.

DNA, Deoxyribonucleic Acid, is a molecule that contains all of your genetic code information. By examining the DNA molecule and its genetic code, the differences among individuals can be scientifically and accurately determined.

Consider DNA to be a blue print exclusive to you alone that determines many of your unique characteristics. The color of you hair eyes, bone structure, even some of your health characteristics are all determined by the genetic code contained in the DNA molecule.

How is DNA testing done? Is it easy to collect DNA?

To determine genetic identity, DNA testing is performed which analyzes certain parts of the genetic code found in each of us. DNA is contained in every cell of your body. A simple and safe method for collecting DNA containing your genetic code is to swab cheek cells from inside your mouth using a soft cotton swab. You then send the swabs containing your cheek cells back to the DNA Security DNA Testing laboratory that specializes in isolating the DNA and analyzing specific portions of the genetic code. The genetic code of individuals can then be analyzed to provide an understanding of biological relationships or to determine identity.

Answer 7

WHen they take a sample of blood, skin, hair....stuff like that. they test it to match other peoples DNA to see if there's any relation to them. they do it a lot when a girl gets pregnant and doesn't know who the father is and she has the kid, they'll have DNA tests to see who the father was.

Answer 8

DNA (Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid) test or DNA finger printing means try to detect the genital father and mother with the offspring,,,,,, it is easier way to detect genital father and mother

Answer 9

Two unrelated humans will be likely to have different numbers of minisatellites at a given locus. By using PCR to detect the number of repeats at several loci, it is possible to establish a match that is extremely unlikely to have arisen by coincidence, except in the case of identical twins, who will have identical genetic profiles.

Genetic fingerprinting is used in forensic science, to match suspects to samples of blood, hair, saliva or semen. It has also led to several exonerations of formerly convicted suspects. It is also used in such applications as identifying human remains, paternity testing, match organ donors, studying populations of wild animals, and establishing the province or composition of foods. It has also been used to generate hypotheses on the pattern of the human diaspora in prehistoric times

Answer 10

Test of the blood