fo0bar,
For many people, this is a simple issue: yer daddy is the person who
is married to yer mommy. However, modern society has found many ways
of complicating this question. Nevertheless, regardless of the
different emotional roles differnet people may play in your life,
there is only one male in the world who can be your biological father.
For those cases where the answer to your question is not clear, the
only resource to turn to is DNA testing.
What is DNA? According to the Genetic Technologies site,
"Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the body's genetic architectural
blueprint present in almost every cell of the body...The DNA of each
individual is unique (except with identical twins) and is inherited
half from the mother and half from the biological father." Each
individual's DNA is unique, but based on the genetics of the mother
and father. Certain trademarks in your DNA are based on traits that
are unique to your mother and father, such that sharing those traits
through somebody else's genetics is extremely unlikely. By using DNA
testing, one can determine a genetic link between two people to a
probability of 99.99% certainity or more.
Of course, both sides of the equation must agree to DNA testing, so
there is currently no way of determining your parentage genetically
without originally identifying a person who could conceivably be your
father, and then convincing him to submit to DNA testing. But a
company called DNAPrint has recently introduced a product called
AncestryByDNA, which claims to be able to break down your ancestral
heritage into a percentage of four groups: Native American,
Sub-Saharan African, Indo-European, and East Asian. Using this
information, it may be possible to limit the scope of your search, and
as genetic testing becomes more advanced, perhaps someday technology
will evolve to the point where everyone may know for certain who their
daddy is (except those who were cloned from their mother...)
Sites referenced:
Genetic Technologies:
http://www.genetictechnologies.com.au/analysis.htm
DNAPrint:
http://www.dnaprint.com
AncestryByDNA:
http://www.ancestrybydna.com
Google Search Terms Used:
"What is DNA?"
DNA testing |
