Paternity & DNA Testing

Discovery magazine has compiled a slideshow featuring what scientists have discovered or developed regarding the various items on your Thanksgiving menu. Entitled “The Genome of Your Thanksgiving Supper,” the 2010 article provides interesting facts about the turkey genome, which contains 80 chromosomes (humans have 46), and how potatoes and tomatoes are genetically related.

The study of DNA in different organisms contributes to our understanding not only of these plants and animals—many reveal clues about how human DNA works as well.

DDC wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving week!

Last week, reports came out that a paternity suit was being filed against teen pop star Justin Bieber. This week, Bieber’s legal camp reportedly agreed to a DNA test, with intentions of suing Mariah Yeater, who filed the suit, for what they called “malicious, defamatory, and demonstrably false claims.”

If you are interested in following the story, below are a few news reports discussing the various aspects of the case:

• DDC’s laboratory director, Dr. Michael Baird, was recently interviewed by Discovery News for an article discussing how a DNA test will provide the answer in Bieber’s paternity case.
• The first report of the paternity suit against Beiber was filed November 2.
• Justin’s reps vehemently deny the allegations.
• Law professors comment on what constitutes credible evidence in a paternity suit that may result in a court order compelling a DNA test.
• Bieber agrees to a paternity test to settle the matter when he comes back to the United States in two weeks. His team threatens to sue Yeater when the results come back as they anticipate.
• MTV reports that the Maury Show is talking to Bieber about the possibility of revealing the results on the show.
• *UPDATE* Yeater’s lawyers drop the paternity suit and remove themselves from the case, but her new lawyer intends to pursue the suit in hopes of a settlement.

For more information our paternity testing page to learn more about how DNA paternity testing works for private individuals.

Scientists are examining the DNA of centenarians, looking for a possible genetic link to longevity. George Eberhardt, 107 years old, is one of 100 healthy centenarians taking part in a study that ultimately hopes to identify genes that prevent age-related diseases and disorders.

This study is part of the Archon Genomics X Prize competition, funded by the same company who sponsored a spaceflight competition—$10 million in prize money is at stake for researchers who decipher the complete DNA code from 100 people older than 100.

The race to decipher the human genome dates back to 1990, when the Human Genome Project was born. A few male and female DNA samples were selected for sequencing as “representatives” of the human race, and the first draft of the human genome was completed in June 2000.

All people share 99.9% of their DNA, and the 0.1% is what makes us all unique. The race continues to identify specific portions of the human genetic code—composed of 3,164.7 million chemical nucleotide bases (A, C, T and G)—that gives some people, such as centenarians, a genetic advantage compared to others.

While Eberhardt professes that his secret to longevity is 70 years of marriage to his wife Marie, a study done at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York found that as a group, centenarians vary widely in their everyday habits—many were smokers, and few exercised or followed a vegetarian diet. This suggests that there may be protective features in centenarians’ DNA that overcomes the less-than ideal lifestyles of many centenarians.

For more information on the science of DNA, visit our DNA science page.