In the last two decades, genealogy as a scientific discipline has been developed to the highest possible level. We can find a lot about where we come from, who our ancestors were, and a plethora of other questions. Whether you are someone who has a sincere interest in your heritage or not, we are sure you will not be intrigued by a possibility to find about this possibility.
A vast majority of people out there think about big laboratories, where scientists are working, when they think about DNA testing. While it needs to be said that this is the highest level of this science, that doesn’t mean that you can use some cheaper solutions.
For instance, we would like to introduce you to the concept of DNA testing kits. You can purchase them quite easily online.
One of the most frequent questions about these is how much is a DNA test in Florida? You will be happy to hear that you can get it at a reasonable price. The highest one is roughly around $200. But there is another question that’s probably even more than the previous one. Are they reliable and accurate? Today, we would like to talk about this aspect in greater detail. Let’s take a look at some facts.
What is DNA?
Before we talk about the kits themselves, we feel it is important to introduce our readers to what DNA is. For those who don’t know, the real name of DNA is Deoxyribonucleic acid. It is a molecular structure that has all the most relevant information that serves as a way of building and maintaining every organism. As you know, every living organism in the universe has its DNA code.
Plus, it is a primary heredity unit that organisms pass to their descendants. So, it’s possible to use it for a fraternity test and a wide array of similar tests. As you probably heard, scientists are not sure about the full potential of DNA and how we can use it in the future.
It yet remains to be seen what they will discover in the future. However, that doesn’t mean that today’s possibilities are nothing short of exceptional.
What are DNA Testing Kits?
DNA testing kits are applications we can use to test DNA in many different ways. We’ve mentioned that they are a much cheaper solution than sending your samples to laboratories. Purchasing these is not as hard as many people would believe. There are many sites where you can find them. Naturally, not all of these websites are credible. So, it would be good to research to find the most reliable ones out there.
Surely, you will agree with the fact that their accuracy is a rather important factor. Imagine a situation when you want to determine whether you are genetically prone to some disease. In that case, you would want a device that is as accurate as it can be. Finding those will certainly require thorough research. So, be ready to invest a lot of time before you find them.
How Accurate and Reliable Are They?
Since the accuracy and reliability of these is an absolute must, we would like to provide you with a couple of important facts. For instance, if you take a look at a famous biologist Sergio Pistoi, you will see that they are pretty accurate. At the same time, Mr. Pistoi says that the results depend on how well we can read them. It means that this process requires a proper algorithm.
Another source says that detecting first cousins with these is completely accurate.
However, some inaccuracies can be expected if your try to connect distant relatives. For example, matching third cousins is still effective, 90%. Beyond that, the probability simply declines. So, if you try to detect fifth cousins, the accuracy will be roughly around 20%, which is simply not enough, as you will agree.
What are the Benefits of DNA Testing Kits?
Now that you are fully aware of what these are, and how effective they can be, we would like to talk about the benefits. Let’s take a look at some of these.
Genetic Diseases Awareness
We’ve mentioned that DNA tests can help you understand whether you have a genetic predisposition to certain illnesses and diseases. If you take a look at some medical reports, you can see that there are a lot of these exclusively hereditary conditions. In that cases, chances that a certain individual will have it at least once during its lifetime can go up to 70%.
Thankfully, these tests can help us be ready for these when the time comes. Having proper therapy can decline their negative impact on the situation where you just need to undergo some tests from time to time. Now that you saw how important this can be, there is no doubt whether this is a big advantage.
Doesn’t Need an Approval
The next benefit we would like to talk about is that you don’t need any sort of approval from any sort of institution. When we say that, we mean that you don’t need approval from insurance companies or any other sort of healthcare provider. Therefore, you will not need to go through any sort of procedure if you decide to utilize it.
Non-Invasive Method
The final benefit we would like to discuss is the fact that this is a non-invasive method. The whole process is rather simple, you just need to leave some sample on the application and that’s it. We can see that many people think about this process usually requires them to go through a lot of different invasive methods, which are unpleasant in most cases. So, they are hesitant to undergo this process.
The Bottom Line
Genealogy is one of the hottest topics these days. You will see that there are countless reports done on this topic every day, in various medical magazines and websites from all over the world. In this article of ours, we’ve focused on DNA testing kits, what they are and how accurate are they. We are sure you will find this sort of insight helpful to understand the whole process.
