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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2005-07 > 1120235982


From: (John Chandler)
Subject: Re: [DNA] Back Mutation and Parallel Mutation
Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 12:39:42 -0400 (EDT)
References: <111.4d4beaa3.2ff6c3f2@aol.com>
In-Reply-To: <111.4d4beaa3.2ff6c3f2@aol.com> (MaryFernS@aol.com)


Mary Fern wrote:
> Back Mutation: When it can be well documented with a paper trail that a
> particular individual has had a mutation from his father. This mutation is
> carried for a few generations, and then his descendent mutates back to the
> ORIGINAL value on the marker.

The definition can be made slightly more general than that. It isn't
necessary to pin down the exact generation of the first mutation or
the back mutation -- just to prove that they must each have occurred at
some point between specified limits.

> Parallel Mutation: When it can be well documented with a paper trail that
> two branches of the same family have individuals who mutate, independently,
> and far distant from each other in geographic locality, to the same value on
> the same marker.

The distance isn't critical, just the independence. Of course, if the
two mutations occurred far apart, that fact can help in proving that
the situation is not just a blunder in the paper trail or a previously
unsuspected non-paternal event within the family.

John Chandler

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