Different Kinds of DNA Testing

DNA is a long, thin string-like material found in almost every living thing--- humans, animals, plants and bacteria---and it governs the basic makeup of these things, including traits such as stature and eye color in humans.

Forensic

Thanks to crime-scene investigation shows, most people are familiar with forensic DNA testing in which samples of tissue are gathered at a crime scene and undergo DNA testing to determine who, or what, was at that site.

Paternity

Widely used to determine parentage of a child, paternity DNA testing can be performed on samples obtained by swiping a cotton swab in the cheek of the child and adult.

Positional Cloning

Positional cloning identifies an unknown gene by linking DNA markers to the inheritance of a disease. Research using positional cloning has allowed scientists to make great strides in understanding and developing new medicines to fight some genetically linked diseases such as cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease.

Y Chromosone

The Y chromosome is passed down through paternal lines, father to son, and is used mainly for genealogical purposes, as in ancestry studies.

Mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA testing is the maternal equivalent to the Y chromosome testing, although the mother passes this to offspring of either sex, making it an invaluable tool in researching maternal lineage for hundreds of generations.

References

• Colostate.edu
• Scientific.org