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In Huge Shock, Mitochondrial DNA Can Be Inherited from Fathers
- andyjohnson0 8y agoThere's an article in the NEJM from 2002 reporting something similar [1] - at least to me as a layman. Since the linked PNAS paper is paywalled, can anyone comment on what's actually new with this announcement? [1] Paternal Inheritance of Mitochondrial DNA https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa020350 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa020350
- eridan2 8y agoIn 2002 one person was found. Now they have 17 different people from three families and they were able to analyze the pattern of transmission across generations. This article explains better: https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/11/plot-twist-mitochondrial-dna-can-come-from-both-parents/ https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/11/plot-twist-mitochond...
- JoeAltmaier 8y agoNot well-versed in genetics, but isn't it just possible that this finding could be explained by casting some doubt on who the father actually is? If the mitochondrial DNA came from a father with a different mother, it could look like it came from a different father? that sort of thing.
- dTal 8y agoIf no mitochondrial DNA is inherited from the father, why should it matter who anyone's father is?
- JoeAltmaier 8y agoAh! Now I get it. And its very hard to be confused about who the mother is...
- tzs 8y ago> And its very hard to be confused about who the mother is... ...but not impossible: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Fairchild https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Fairchild
- rco8786 8y agoWasn’t this first discovered in 2002? Unclear why it’s currently taking up two top spots on HN, with headlines like “Plot Twist” and “Huge Shock”.
- MaxBarraclough 8y agoSeconded. Let's leave that kind of headline to the tabloids.