[Virginia-American]

There are n = 3*1953 = about 6000 single-point mutations. There are about n^2 two-point mutations. 6000^2 = 36,000,000 is close enuff to 20,000,000. So it looks like every mutation that differed at one or two locations occurrred.

[Southack]

No, js1138's claim was that every possible point mutation occurred and was observed in the experiment. See post #577.

You are trying to re-state the initial claim as if having a mutation at each point was the same as having every possible point mutation at every point.

Disingenuous.

[b_sharp]

Why didn't you just tell him that in the case of a single nucleotide (not a base pair) *at a time* change, calculating a permutation is not applicable?

A longer sequence makes it easier to see.

From the initial sequence:
agtcctgagtctacgtatcgata

We get the following single nuceotide changes:
agtcctaagtctacgtatcgata
agtccttagtctacgtatcgata
agtcctcagtctacgtatcgata
agtcctgggtctacgtatcgata
agtcctgtgtctacgtatcgata
agtcctgcgtctacgtatcgata
agtcctgaatctacgtatcgata
agtcctgattctacgtatcgata
agtcctgactctacgtatcgata

3*3=9 single nucleotide mutations

From his we would get, in addition to all of the above:
agtcctaggtctacgtatcgata
agtcctatgtctacgtatcgata
agtcctacgtctacgtatcgata
agtcctaaatctacgtatcgata
agtcctaattctacgtatcgata
agtcctaactctacgtatcgata
agtcctagatctacgtatcgata
agtcctatatctacgtatcgata
agtcctacatctacgtatcgata
agtcctaggtctacgtatcgata
agtcctagttctacgtatcgata
agtcctagctctacgtatcgata
.
.
.
.
And so on...
until will get all permutations of those three nucleotides (minus duplicates) many of which are *not* single nucleotide mutations.
3³=27 multiple nucleotide mutations