Genetic paternity testing is actually a type of relationship testing, but since it’s by far the most popular of all relationship tests, we have placed it in its own category.
Paternity testing involves comparing the DNA of two or three people: the child, the putative father, and (ideally) the mother.
Paternity tests can be for legal purposes (such as child custody matters or for a name change) or for personal knowledge. Legal testing involves a chain of custody for the DNA samples, and are thus more expensive. Private tests can be performed in the home. In fact, drugstores now sell off-the-shelf home paternity test kits. Unfortunately, these kits only provide for collection of the DNA samples, which must still be mailed to a lab for analysis.
