Mondo Knows Facts
Mitochondrial DNA passes down the mother's line
Egg cells supply the mitochondria, so this DNA traces maternal ancestry Mitochondria carry their own small circular genome of about 16,500 base pairs in humans. Sperm contribute almost none, so the sequence passes from mother to child largely unchanged apart from occasional mutations. Comparing these sequences has been used to trace human migrations. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.
Where this comes from
National Human Genome Research Institute
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More facts like this
Meselson and Stahl traced DNA copyingHeavy nitrogen isotopes showed each new helix keeps one old strandDNA stores genetic instruction in a double helix structureFour nitrogenous base pairs form the chemical alphabet of living organismsMutations supply new genetic variationCopying errors and damage create the alleles that selection can act onStretched DNA from a single cell measures about two metres longTightly packed chromosomes coil double-stranded DNA into tiny cell nucleiAll human DNA combined would reach across the solar systemTrillions of cells containing two metres of DNA each span billions of kilometresHumans and chimpanzees share most of their DNAThe two species match at close to 99 percent of comparable DNA positions
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Tags: genetics, dna, ancestry
Mitochondrial DNA passes down the mother's line: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Egg cells supply the mitochondria, so this DNA traces maternal ancestry. The figure is taken from National Human Genome Research Institute, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a science fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.