Forensic Question: DNA Analysis

This question came to me via my blog as a comment but for some reason didn't post so I put Amryn to the task of answering it but am only using the poster's initials since she didn't give permission directly to use her full name.

It is related to Amryn's post on DNA analysis that you can find here.

S.C. Asks:

I understand that it becomes more difficult with half-siblings. But with full-siblings, if say, a brother suspected that someone was his sister, could he, through a blood sample, confirm the lineage if he did not have access to the parent's DNA?

Amryn Says:

This would definitely be possible. The best way to go about it would be to do mitochondrial DNA testing which traces the mother's lineage. So a brother and sister would have the same mitochondrial DNA because they share the same mother. To try to connect two people as siblings with the more common type of DNA testing is more difficult and would involve statistical calculations. The chance that full siblings will share one of their numbers (see the example in the post) at one of those locations on a chromosome is about 50%. So, yes, the brother could determine someone was his sister, but his best bet would be to have a mitochondrial DNA test done.

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Amryn Cross is a full-time forensic scientist and author of romantic suspense novels. Her first novel, Learning to Die, will be released in September. In her spare time, she enjoys college football, reading, watching movies, and researching her next novel. You can connect with Amryn via her website, Twitter and Facebook.