When the egg and the sperm fuse, they make a zygote with a full set of their combined DNA. This is also why siblings can look different from each other even though they share the same parents! This randomness is why no two eggs or no two sperm are the same. Each of these four cells carries a random half of the genetic information of the parent. The DNA that the sperm and egg carry is a product of meiosis, which is a process where one cell divides into 4 cells. Parents pass DNA to their children through their gametes, or sperm and egg cells. Everyone inherits DNA from their parents. Image by PublicDomainPictures via Pixabay.ĭNA carries the information we need to develop and survive. It also contains all the instructions needed for our bodies to survive. It carries all the genetic information that we inherit from our parents. This is the structure of DNA, one of the most important molecules in our bodies. Why was it so crazy that Fairchild’s DNA didn’t match her children’s? To understand this, we must talk about what DNA actually does in our bodies. Let’s take a closer look at how chimerism looks in humans. This happens in organisms of all kinds – mice, rabbits, cats, and many more. This form of chimerism is when an organism inherits two sets of DNA instead of one. It turns out that Fairchild had a very rare condition called chimerism. However, when researchers took the baby’s DNA a few weeks later, it still did not match Fairchild’s. There was nothingout of the ordinary about the birth. When she gave birth, a government official stood in the room to ensure no one was cheating the system. The government accused her of lying about being their mother.ĭuring this time, Fairchild was pregnant with her third child. But when the results came back, her DNA did not match her children’s. So, she submitted a DNA sample to run alongside her children’s DNA. In order to obtain custody, she had to prove she was the mother of her children. That year, Fairchild was separating from her husband. Image by National Cancer Institute via Unsplash. A big DNA molecule will travel a shorter distance through the gel compared to a small DNA molecule. Gel electrophoresis is a lab method used to separate DNA, RNA, or proteins according to their size. Usually, scientists run DNA tests with gel electrophoresis.
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