Prompt Cast
The History and Evolution of Paternity Testing
TLDR The history of paternity testing dates back to the 12th century, with early methods including pseudoscientific techniques like examining the roof of the mouth or measuring nose and ears. However, advancements in science, such as the discovery of inheritable blood types, led to more reliable and accurate methods of determining fatherhood, with genetic testing becoming the norm in the 90s.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The history of paternity testing is relatively new, but it has solved a longstanding problem of determining fatherhood with 99.99% accuracy.
02:04
In the early days of paternity testing, there were many pseudoscientific methods used to try to determine fatherhood, including a 12th century priest who asked a baby to point to their father, but eventually more reliable methods were developed.
04:02
Pseudoscientific methods, such as examining the roof of the mouth or measuring nose and ears, were used in early attempts to determine paternity, but these methods were unreliable and often racist.
06:05
In the 1920s, a judge hired a man named Abrams to determine paternity in a high-profile case by using a pseudoscientific method of blood vibration, which was later criticized as a miscarriage of justice.
08:10
Blood types were discovered to be inheritable, allowing for a more scientific approach to ruling out potential fathers in paternity cases.
10:19
California passed a law in 1953 stating that if a scientific test shows someone is not the father, then they are not the father, which led to other states adopting similar laws, until genetic testing became the norm in the 90s.
12:15
Paternity testing has become so cheap and accessible that it is now a popular segment on daytime talk shows, such as Mori Povich, where guests are tested and the results are revealed on air.
Categories:
Society & Culture
