Re: Can a scientist find out who your parent is?

Date: Tue Feb 21 20:44:42 2006
Posted By: Crystal Ellison, Undergraduate, Pre-med, Human Biology, University of Kansas
Area of science: Genetics
ID: 1140201964.Ge

Message:


Scientists can compare DNA samples of you and the propective parent.  You 
have to have someone to compare it against, however. Then a DNA sample is 
taken from each person and compared to each other, see everyone gets 23 
chromosomes from each of their parents, to make a total of 46 chromosomes.  
When making a comparison of a prospective parent and child, if 
at least 13 independent bits of DNA are in common, then the probability is low
that they are common by coincidence, and it is more likely that they are parent
and child.

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