Biology Forum › Cell Biology › mitrochondrial backtracking

last updated by joe1401 18 years ago
5 voices
6 replies
  • Author
    Posts
    • January 15, 2007 at 10:40 pm #6775
      joe1401
      Participant

      Is it possible to explain in rather simple terms, how science can claim to know ancestry through analysis of mitrochondria?

      I am interested in biology at a rather late time in life and have made some attempt to understand a bit via Biology-Online, but need something like this explained in layman terms as much as possible.

      I know, generally, the function of this organelle, and have heard the theory of it’s possibly being an ancient symbiote, but that’s about all.

      Anyone willing to try?

    • January 16, 2007 at 12:58 am #66782
      Abstract
      Participant

      Mitochondira have their own DNA which very very rarely mutates. In humans, all of the mitochondria in your body come from your mother (when a sperm fertilizes an egg, the tail of the sperm which contains all of the mitochondria is left outside the zygote), and as a result, maternal lineages can be determined.

    • January 16, 2007 at 3:14 pm #66874
      sachin
      Participant

      So mitDNA is Maternal ….hmmm

    • January 17, 2007 at 3:48 pm #67072
      Locus
      Participant

      mDNA is good for genealogy becouse there is not recombination and different branches connection that follow from this. So, at the any of prievios generations there is only one women that inherit to any of her descendants her DNA. If we collect samples of this DNA, by using multiple allignment to bind the phylogenetic tree.

    • January 17, 2007 at 5:15 pm #67079
      mith
      Participant

      However the flaw with this method is, it doesn’t always give the full picture, if you use Y chromosome dating, sometimes you’ll see some very different results.

    • January 17, 2007 at 7:09 pm #67100
      joe1401
      Participant

      Abstract,

      Thanks for the reply! I have read where the mutation rate is predictable …. I think it’s referred to as a molecular clock, and that is the basis for being able to go back in time. But that seems to be controversial.

    • January 17, 2007 at 7:10 pm #67102
      joe1401
      Participant

      Locus,

      Can you explain "multiple allignment to bind the phylogenetic tree"?

  • Author
    Posts

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

No related posts.

Members