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DNA Paternity Testing on ABC Hit TV Show

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

Recently, DNA testing has been in mainstream media quite often, and a hit TV show is no exception. Throughout its most recent season, the tangled plot of ABC’s Brothers & Sisters included a major knot involving a decades-old paternity question. Now, as the show prepares to launch its third season this fall, trailers make it clear that the Walker family’s paternity questions are far from answered, as the search for Mr. Walker’s alleged child continues and the family’s estate waits anxiously to see if it will encompass another heir.

For more information on DNA paternity testing, please visit Beta Paternity’s Testing information page.

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Royal Russian Bones: Mystery Solved?

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

The following is a follow-up to our earlier article on the mystery of Anastasia, and the role DNA analysis is playing in solving it.
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According to a news article released last week, scientists have confirmed the remains of two bodies dug up in Russia last year that they previously believed were those of Tsar Nicholas II’s two children. DNA testing and analysis proved that these two bodies did in fact belong to the royal family that was assassinated by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

Since then, historians and scientists alike have been unsure of how many of his family members were killed along with Tsar Nicolas II. Specifically, scientists have had difficulty identifying the bodies of his five children, but the identities of three bodies near the Tsar and his wife Alexandra have proved particularly difficult to identify— those believed to be Maria, Alexei and Anastasia.

This identity question has led to an intriguing mystery throughout much of the twentieth century, with several women coming forward claiming to be the Tsar’s youngest daughter Anastasia. As each woman was ultimately determined not to be the long-lost Anastasia, scientists again turned to a shallow grave in Northern Russia for answers.

Last month, DNA analysis began on several sets of bones found charred in the grave. Now, it appears that two of the smaller bodies have been positively identified as Maria and Alexei. Through the process of elimination and added DNA analysis, researchers now believe a body found earlier in their investigation is that of Anastasia. However, scientists are divided in regard to this recent conclusion because of the corroded state of the DNA that was analyzed, and so investigations will continue in hopes of finding additional evidence to strengthen their conclusion.

Russia’s Orthodox Church has not released a position on the matter, saying that it will wait until scientists and historians can definitively agree on exactly whose bodies have turned up where.

While DNA testing has provided some answers in this mystery, other questions still remain. Most notably, researchers and world citizens alike are left to wonder if Anastasia died with her family or if she survived.

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The Case of the Missing Parrot

Monday, April 28th, 2008

According to a Times article published last week, a Margate, England, woman hopes a DNA test can prove her beloved parrot is not missing, but has been stolen and is residing at the local pub.

Sue Parsons’ African Grey parrot went missing in January, and since then she has had no idea where her beloved pet, named Pickle, could be. Then, a friend spotted a bird that closely resembles Parson’s in a cage inside of a pub in the area. Parsons went to the pub to see the look-alike bird for herself, and it was then she began to believe she had found Pickle.

However, the owner of the bar insists that the bird is hers, and that it came from her uncle, who said he bought it months ago from “two identified men,” the article said.

Parsons is certain that the parrot in the pub is hers, and is demanding a DNA test to prove it. She hopes that sloughed off down feathers in Pickle’s former cage can be used as a reference sample; DNA from those feathers and DNA from the unidentified parrot can be compared to see if they match. However, the bird in question’s owner has so far refused to allow anyone, including police, access to the bird for DNA testing.

It seems that this parrot truly is in a pickle.

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How to Use Your Beta Self-Collection™ DNA Paternity Testing Kit

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

When you receive your free Beta Self-Collection™ Kit, you will find easy-to-follow instructions included in the materials. The instructions outline several points that are critical to remember when preparing your DNA samples for paternity testing.

As you are taking the buccal (cheek) swabs and preparing them for shipping, please be sure to remember the following:

1. Be sure to LABEL each buccal swab envelope correctly. It is usually best to label one envelope and swab one person at a time to avoid possible mix up of envelopes and samples.

2. Remember to swab ALL OVER the inside of the cheek; try not to rub one spot repeatedly. Rotate the swab while you are rubbing the cheek lining to ensure maximum DNA sample collection. Follow the instructions provided in your kit to ensure that the proper amount of DNA is collected for the paternity analysis.

3. After you have followed the instructions for swabbing each person’s cheek, place swabs in the PAPER ENVELOPES provided. Do NOT put the swabs back into the plastic wrapper. This will cause mold or mildew to grow inside the plastic, and will destroy the DNA sample on the swabs. Beta Genetics cannot perform DNA paternity testing on swabs that have been placed in plastic.

4. Enclose all of the buccal swab envelopes in the Business Reply envelope and mail the kit to our DNA testing laboratory.

If you have more questions, the the video located here shows step-by-step instructions on how to properly prepare your DNA samples for paternity testing using the free Beta Self-Collection ™ Kit. You can also visit http://www.betagenetics.com/dna-collection.html.

Please contact one of our caring case managers at 1-800-798-3810 if you need further assistance.

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The Mystery of Anastasia: Can DNA Testing Solve It?

Monday, April 7th, 2008

According to an Associated Press article published late last week, the mystery surrounding the missing Russian Princess Anastasia could be solved later this spring through DNA testing.

Scientists in England, Russia and the U.S. plan to test DNA found in bone fragments that were found in Russia last year. They will compare DNA from the bones to DNA samples known to be from the Czar’s family and descendents.

Scientists are reviewing any biological and genetic material that has been deemed relevant at the request of the Russian prosecutors as part of a reopened investigation of the deaths of the royal family. The bones to be tested were found at a site in Northen Russia where the rest of the Russian royal family was supposedly killed. After the killing, scientists believe the killers doused the bodies in sulfuric acid before burning them to hide or eliminate evidence. However, scientists believe the killers ran out of time to thoroughly destroy all evidence, thus leaving behind these bone fragments. After initial viability testing, scientists have determined that there is indeed enough preserved DNA to move forward with DNA analysis and comparison.

Anastasia was the youngest daughter of Russia’s Czar Nicolas II. Czar Nicolas and his family were murdered during a revolt in the Bolshevik Revolution in the early 1900s. Anastasia was was rumored to have escaped execution, and the mystery surrounding her possible survival is legendary because over the years many women have claimed to be the surviving princess.

The most famous of these women, Anna Anderson, was proven not to be Anastasia after her death in 1984. Scientists compared Anderson’s DNA to DNA samples taken from a descendant of the Russian royal family and determined there was no relation. Anna Anderson’s story became the centerpiece for many media broadcasts about the Anastasia mystery, including the 1956 film Anastasia and consequent news stories, novels, and even a musical.

For more information on how this type of DNA family relationship testing works, visit www.betagenetics.com/genetic_services.html. Results of the DNA testing will be released later this spring, scientists who are involved in the case have said.

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Galileo Shakes Up the Church Again with Possible Paternity Test from the Grave

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

When the famous astronomer and scientist Galileo was alive, he became very well known for causing a stir among the authorities of the Catholic Church who had for centuries taught that the Earth was the center of the universe. Throughout his life, Galileo insisted on his theory that the Sun was in fact the center of the universe, and that the Earth revolved around it, not vice versa as previously thought. After his death, when his theory was proved to be true, Galileo was revered as one of the greatest Italian scientists of all time. Once declared a heretic of the Catholic Church, Galileo now rests in a tomb in the famous Basilica of the Holy Cross in Florence, Italy.

Now, Italian researchers are petitioning the Church for permission to exhume his body to perform advanced DNA testing that could shed light on the type or cause of blindness that affected Galileo. These researchers, led by Prof. Paulo Galluzzi, also want to confirm if the woman whose body shares Galileo’s tomb is indeed his daughter, Sister Marie Celeste. The rector of this basilica has so far rejected Galluzi and his team’s request, deeming it disrespectful of the dead and being disrespectful of the basilica itself.

It seems that, even 360 years after his death, Galileo is once again at the center of a debate between science and the Catholic Church.

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Twin Zygosity is one thing, but Triplets?

Friday, March 14th, 2008

Last week, an article on cnn.com told the story of New York mom Allison Penn and her newborn sons, Logan, Eli and Collin. The boy’s births were already notable because they are triplets— a rare event that only happens in about 1 in every 8,000 births.

Logan, Eli and Collin are not just any triplets, however. They are identical triplets, which means that the three babies grew out of only one fertilized egg. In multiple identical births, one fertilized egg (called an embryo) splits during development, resulting in identical babies, most often, twins. (In contrast, fraternal twins result from two separate eggs being fertilized.)

In the case of the Penn triplets, one of the resulting embryos split again, resulting in three embryos and, ultimately, three babies. This “double splitting” of a fertilized egg, resulting in identical triplets, is extremely rare and occurs only once in every 500,000 births, although some data suggests the chances of identical triplets can even be one in 200 million. Like identical twins, identical triplets have exactly the same DNA because they came from the same fertilized egg.

A DNA test called a Zygosity Test is often used to tell if twins or triplets are identical or fraternal. Through a simple cheek swab after the babies are born, scientists can determine whether or not the babies’ DNA matches—which means the babies are identical—or does not, which means they are fraternal. Twins are either identical or fraternal, while triplets can consist of one set of identical twins and a third fraternal baby, three fraternal babies, or three identical babies, like Logan, Eli and Collin Penn.

What makes Logan, Eli and Collin’s births even more special is that they are a result of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), a fertility treatment that involves harvesting an egg from the mother and fertilizing it with the father’s sperm outside the womb, and then implanting it in the mother’s uterus hoping that the embryo will grow and ultimately result in pregnancy.

The rate of multiple births rises if a couple uses IVF because often multiple embryos are implanted in the mother to increase the chance of achieving a successful pregnancy. However, in Allison Penn’s case, she had only one embryo implanted, making her chance of having identical triplets extremely low.

In fact, doctors believe the Penn babies are the first identical triplets to be born through an IVF procedure that involved implanting only a single embryo. All three babies are healthy, although one boy has a non-functioning kidney but doctors don’t think he will require medical treatment.

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Over-the-counter paternity tests: Some things to consider

Monday, March 10th, 2008

Recently, paternity test kits have been promoted regionally through a pharmacy chain, which means in some states these kits are now available on pharmacy store shelves. According to the companies who are promoting these over-the-counter kits, the concept is to make the test more accessible—but convenience does come with a price. A consumer must first pay for the kit (which is available for free on many companies’ websites), and pay more for the testing later. We advise people to carefully consider their testing options in deciding whether these over-the-counter paternity tests are right for their situation.

First, it is important to remember that only a DNA paternity test that follows strict chain of custody procedures is recognized as valid in a court of law. This means that if the test is needed for legal purposes – like child support enforcement, inheritance issues, adoption procedures and others – a chain of custody or “legal” test is the best way to ensure that the test will be admitted in court. These pharmacy-store kits—like other at-home kits that can be purchased on the internet— can answer paternity questions for curiosity reasons or for peace-of-mind, but will not be recognized by a judge if the results were ever needed for legal reasons.

Second, each paternity situation is unique, and your specific circumstances should be carefully considered before choosing a test. Many at-home testing companies offer limited customer service whose personnel are trained primarily to help clients with one of the more common types of paternity tests, the trio test. In this test, three parties’ cheek swabs are taken and mailed to the lab—the mother, alleged father and child. However, if a paternity situation is more complicated than the trio case—if the alleged fathers are related or if the alleged father is deceased—extended analysis of the DNA samples will be necessary, which requires expert laboratory and client service personnel to walk you through the specifics of your unique case.

Finally, while purchasing a paternity test at a pharmacy may be convenient, many of Beta Paternity’s clients say they prefer the privacy, confidentiality and discretion that ordering a paternity testing kit online provides—compared to standing in line at a drug store where your paternity kit is “rung up” in plain sight. Our clients can talk confidentially to a caring case manager without leaving the comfort and privacy of home, and Beta Paternity offers its clients stellar customer service throughout the entire testing process.

For more information, click here to read more about Beta Paternity’s services.

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DNA To Tell if “Lady Bluebeard” Death Fact or Fiction

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

lady bluebeard.jpg

The mystery surrounding the death of “Lady Bluebeard”
may soon be solved through DNA analysis, according to a recent article in The Chicago Tribune.

The folktale of Lady Bluebeard was based on female serial killer Belle Gunness’s crimes in the early 1900s. Gunness murdered at least 12 Norweigian bachelors who moved to the U.S. to pursue her.

After a fire destroyed the Gunness property, officials found more than 11 bodies dismembered and buried on the family’s farm in La Porte, Ind., one of which was initially presumed to be Gunness herself.

Suspicion arose, however, when many officials began to speculate that the woman in Gunness’s amateur grave on the farm was too small to be Gunness. Additionally, because the woman’s body was headless, a positive identification was difficult, as DNA testing was not available in 1908 when the bodies were found. The townspeople of La Porte—and historians since— suspected that Gunness killed another woman before torching her own house and leaving town, thus faking her death and disappearing into history as one of the U.S.’s most notorious criminals.

Now, experts plan to compare DNA samples from the female body that was found on Gunness’s farm, allegedly Gunness herself, with DNA samples taken from the envelope flaps of letters Gunness sent to a former lover.

One of Gunness’s decendants has already authorized the exhumation of the body in question. Based on her own genealogical research, she has said that she would be “shocked” if DNA analysis confirmed that the female body is that of Gunness.

DNA often provides answers in comparative identity cases and can also clarify the circumstances in a “whodunit” case. However, it seems that in the case of Lady Bluebeard, if the DNA does not match, the mystery may become thicker.

If the woman in the grave is not Lady Bluebeard, who is she? Further, if the two samples of DNA do not match, investigators may have to return to their initial question in this unsolved case: What happened to Lady Bluebeard?

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Dog Days of DNA

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

Did you know that DNA testing isn’t used only in the courtroom or to answer paternity questions? In recent years, DNA testing for dogs has increased dramatically as proud pet owners seek to determine their canine companions’ heritage or to ensure their pets’ pedigree.

By taking a sample of Fido or Rover’s DNA with a simple buccal (cheek) swab and shipping it back to DDC Veterinary for analysis, dog owners can find out or verify the parentage of their furry friend to appease curiosity or confirm kennel club membership by identifying a dog’s purebred parents. DNA testing can also unlock the genetic characteristics of certain breeds to determine specific inherited characteristics, like hair length, stature and physique, and can even help determine a pup’s risk of inheriting certain diseases from its parents.

At DDC Veterinary, canine DNA tests are treated with the same stringent industry standards that human DNA tests are subjected to. Pricing for DDC Veterinary’s services starts at just $38 per dog for a parentage test and results are provided within 10 working days.

For more information about DDC Veterinary, please visit www.vetdnacenter.com.

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Archive for the 'Home Paternity Tests' Category

DNA Paternity Testing on ABC Hit TV Show

Royal Russian Bones: Mystery Solved?

The Case of the Missing Parrot

How to Use Your Beta Self-Collection™ DNA Paternity Testing Kit

The Mystery of Anastasia: Can DNA Testing Solve It?

Galileo Shakes Up the Church Again with Possible Paternity Test from the Grave

Twin Zygosity is one thing, but Triplets?

Over-the-counter paternity tests: Some things to consider

DNA To Tell if “Lady Bluebeard” Death Fact or Fiction

Dog Days of DNA

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