Originally posted by Chris
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And note in particular the reference to "Spontaneous Mutations".
As I said I don't claim to be an expert just have spoken to a number of them on the issue of DNA.
Or perhaps Stephen Oppemheimer's explanation mght suffice:
This is where DNA point mutations come in. When mtDNA is inherited from our mother, occasionally there is a change or mutation in one or more of the ‘letters’ of the mtDNA code – about one mutation every thousand generations. The new letter, called a point mutation, will then be transmitted through all subsequent daughters. Although a new mutation is a rare event within a single family line, the overall probability of mutations is clearly increased by the number of mothers having daughters. So, within one generation, a million mothers could have more than a thousand daughters with a new mutation, each different from the rest. This is why, unless we share a recent maternal ancestor over the past 10,000 years or so, we each have a slightly different code from everyone else around us.
From http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/journey/eve.html
You will note that the good Dr says:
So, within one generation, a million mothers could have more than a thousand daughters with a new mutation, each different from the rest.
As I understand it there is about 1 in 1000 chance that there will be a mutation in mtDNA in a generation.
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