Smartphone App Developed for Running DNA Paternity Tests
Researchers at University of California, Irvine have developed an Android app that conducts DNA-based paternity tests. The smartphone app can reportedly compare digitized genomic data to determine if an individual is the father of another individual. This feat is particularly impressive in light of how much computer number-crunching power one might think is necessary to sort through DNA segments.
Under current methods, people seeking a DNA paternity test have their sample taken, usually with a cotton swab scraping the inside of their mouth, which is then sent to one of the national DNA testing labs (typically in Texas or Virginia), and results are returned in a matter of days/weeks. Before people start searching for the app on their smartphones, note that the app only reviews/matches digitized gene data, so a person needs to have their DNA sample taken, then converted to data. Still, it would seem that a phone attachment in which two people insert their DNA sample (spit?) and get a paternity test, isn’t too farfetched.
