Secrets of the Gene
Type
Journal
Authors
Category
National Geographic
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Publication Year
1999
Publisher
National Geographic Society, United States
Volume
4
Issue Type
Monthly
Issue Period
October
Pages
42-75
Subject
Biology
Abstract
Today scientists all over the world are using mitochondrial DNA to re-create the migrations of other ancient peoples across Africa, the Americans, and everywhere between. It is important to keep in mind, however, that the exquisite diversity in our mitochondrial code that allows us to trace these events is a classic exception that proves the rule.In most of our genes - 99.9 percent of them - every human being alive is exactly the same. Moreover, most of the variations in the remaining one - tenth of a percent don't bunch up into geographic regions or racial groups but instead are spread around the globe. Put another away, the snips and snippets of code that taken together make one person unique are scattered about in other unique genomes all over the world, binding all of us in a splendid tangle of interrelationship.
Number of Copies
1
