Chimerism: people with two different DNAs

Nothing can be as conclusive as a DNA test. That is what, at least, forensic science has always told us, and hence, that it serves as a legal basis for many convictions and legal tests.

But is it really so infallible ? Sometimes not so much and to give you a simple example of it, we want to talk to you about a young woman named Lydia Fairchild, an American who was left without a job and without any means to support her children.

In order to ask for social help, Lydia had to go through a maternity test and what was her surprise when, suddenly, she was brought into an office to process a complaint. The DNA tests showed that his three children were not his . Had he stolen them? Kidnaped? Had he taken the children of another family to ask for help?

Lydia Fairchild could not believe what was happening, they told her again and again that DNA was an infallible proof and that she was a fraud. But what nightmare was that? How could they tell him that his three children were not his?

The desperation of this young woman had a name: Chimerism. I had two different DNAs.

Be your own twin Having two different DNAs: human chimeras
The case of Lydia Fairchild was long and complex. He had to face a lawsuit and have to seek legal support despite not having financial resources. But finally her lawyer sought documentation of similar cases. Of women whose maternity tests came back negative, mothers who were clearly told by science that they had not given birth to their own children. Such incongruity must have an explanation.

Chimerism As you know, each of us is unique in the world, we have our own DNA, that we can get from blood, saliva, hair or other fluids. But what if we told you that there are people who have two types of DNA inside their bodies ? Surely you will be surprised, but as you see, human biology is sometimes as fascinating as it is terrifying, especially if we consider the problems that something like this can cause. Especially in legal matters.

The human chimerism is something really peculiar and very rare. It happens when a person has two different DNAs in his body, the first one would be in fluids like blood or saliva, while the second one would be found in the internal tissues such as our organs.

And what can be its origin? Scientists tell us that the cause may be in our embryonic development. There when two identical non-identical twin embryos emerge, they finally end up merging into one. This amazing phenomenon derives from the fact that in our interior, we still have those traces of a brother who never came to be developed , who merged, so to speak, into us leaving traces of his DNA in some parts of our internal organs .

The normal thing is that we never realize how much we suffer chimerism or not, until suddenly, for whatever reason we should do some type of test. As is the case with our protagonist in this article, Lydia Fairchild. What finally happened to her? You will ask yourself. Everything ended well.

He had countless hearings before the judge, the evidence showed that it was most likely that he was an aunt of his children, but not a mother. The lawyer picked up the case of another woman in the same situation, Karen Keegan , and of her particularity called "human chimerism". To back up her suspicions, Lydia was asked to undergo a Pap test, and it was then that her three children were clearly her own. Finally.

A really curious fact that we can all suffer without ever knowing and experiencing it in the same way as this woman. It should not be anything nice.