Source: US News & World Report

Not so very long ago, fatherhood had a bit of mystery to it. No more. Advances in genetics have made paternity tests one of the simplest and most reliable medical tests ever available.

Prime Minister John Howard says he will consider a proposal to amend legislation to allow easier access to DNA paternity testing.

A 17-year-old is suing his mother to force her to reveal the identity of his biological father.

Much like how a person's genetic code differs from other individuals, the level at which those genes are activated in the body differs from one person to another, scientists have learned. And though some of those differences in gene activity are seen between different populations – Asians versus Europeans, for instance – more of those variations are due to individual-level factors, further obscuring the biological meaning of "race."

Might some infectious diseases run in families because one inherits susceptibility to them? Although researchers generally agree that an individual's genetic makeup contributes in subtle ways to susceptibility to infectious disease, new findings from researchers in France support the controversial idea that an error in a single gene is enough to dramatically alter an individual's susceptibility to certain infections.

Scientists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues at four other medical centers have launched a $10 million multi-year study to identify genes that may contribute to early atherosclerosis.

DNA testing used to study disease and confirm pedigrees is also being used to reveal which breeds make up a mutt's background.

It’s called ancestry DNA testing and it is as true-blue as the reality of your long lost great grandfather himself.

A DNA sample provides results that are both startling and validating.