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> undiscovered checksum scheme I don't think checksum is a fair metaphor for anything happening in biological systems. > Most mtDNA between humans is the same
by eggie 8y ago
> undiscovered checksum scheme
I don't think checksum is a fair metaphor for anything happening in biological systems.
> Most mtDNA between humans is the same
And most DNA is also the same. A percent difference is the kind of thing that would require millions of years of divergence to develop.
> mtDNA is only 16,569 base pairs long
This is really not so precise. There will be a mixture of lengths due to insertions and deletions, even in the same individual, even in the same cell.
> The differences between mother and child are almost always due to the father's contribution, and not to mutations.
Do you have a citation for this?
- Retric 8y agoChecksum is a solid analogy, take natural abortion. If a fetus fails specific challenges it’s removed. This is very common, with a significant portion of pregnancy’s ending this way.
- zerealshadowban 8y agoThe number of base pairs in human mtDNA is not a subject of scientific ignorance nor of dispute; it has been known for decades. [1] This kind of objection is unproductive, and indicates one may benefit from personal study of the subject instead of arbitrarily casting doubt. [1] Sequence and organization of the human mitochondrial genome (1981). https://www.nature.com/articles/290457a0 https://www.nature.com/articles/290457a0