Scally, A. & Durbin, R. Nature Rev. Genet. 13, 745–753 (2012).
Posted on 09/22/2012 10:25:11 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Geneticists have previously estimated mutation rates by comparing the human genome with the sequences of other primates. On the basis of species-divergence dates gleaned -- ironically -- from fossil evidence, they concluded that in human DNA, each letter mutates once every billion years. "It's a suspiciously round number," says Linda Vigilant, a molecular anthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. The suspicion turned out to be justified.
In the past few years, geneticists have been able to watch the molecular clock in action, by sequencing whole genomes from dozens of families5 and comparing mutations in parents and children. These studies show that the clock ticks at perhaps half the rate of previous estimates, says Scally.
In a review published on 11 September1,Scally and his colleague Richard Durbin used the slower rates to reevaluate the timing of key splits in human evolution. "If the mutation rate is halved, then all the dates you estimate double," says Scally. "That seems like quite a radical change." Yet the latest molecular dates mesh much better with key archaeological dates.
Take the 400,000-600,000-year-old Sima de Los Huesos site in Atapuerca, Spain, which yielded bones attributed to Homo heidelbergensis, the direct ancestors of Neanderthals. Genetic studies have suggested that earlier ancestors of Neanderthals split from the branch leading to modern humans much more recently, just 270,000-435,000 years ago. A slowed molecular clock pushes this back to a more comfortable 600,000 years ago (see 'Better agreement over the human story').
(Excerpt) Read more at nature.com ...
Scally, A. & Durbin, R. Nature Rev. Genet. 13, 745–753 (2012).
Once every billion years? Less than 15 changes since the universe started?
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At 500,000 years, the dating of this skull of Homo heidelbergensis clashed with previous DNA dates for Neanderthal origins. [ J. Trueba/MSF/SPL ]
The Neandertal Enigma"Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127]
by James Shreeve
in local libraries
ah they keep trying to prove their is no God only this rather random mechanism leading to ‘evolutionary change’. Keep at it. Some day they may finally see the Truth
Why 15?
*shrug* It’s a suspiciously round number...
Human mutation rate revealed
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090827/full/news.2009.864.html
Fathers bequeath more mutations as they age
http://www.nature.com/news/fathers-bequeath-more-mutations-as-they-age-1.11247
African neighbours divided by their genes
http://www.nature.com/news/african-neighbours-divided-by-their-genes-1.11456
Human-chimp interbreeding challenged
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090828/full/news.2009.870.html
That’s one in a billion years for each *letter*. Mitochondrial DNA alone has over 16,000 base pairs...
Who is they, and why do you bring it up since I see no attempt to disprove God in the article?
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the scientist who keep trying that evolution is ‘real’...and the article specifically points to the idea of a slower transitional period ( once every billion years per split) better fits their current finds....except the idea of evolution as opposed to creation with adaption is perhaps beyond your understanding
I think someone is not communicating very well here. That rate, 1 in one billion years per nucleotide doesn’t make sense. Nucleotides are fairly unstable molecules, and multiple redundant repair mechanisms exist to make sure they are fixed when they need to be. Every cell in the body undergoes multiple DNA mutations every day.
Yes, isn’t ‘science’ amazing!
Man didn’t evolve, he was created.
I've never understood where pre-humans like Peking Man, and Java Man, and Neanderthals come from - according to evolutionary science.
Does the same Out-of-Africa theory prevail?
What about the scientists who believe in God and evolution? What about the religions and believers in God who also believe in evolution?
and the article specifically points to the idea of a slower transitional period ( once every billion years per split) better fits their current finds....
What do you mean by that? The article is about the rate of change in DNA and how long it takes on average for a "letter" of DNA to change.
That's an ignorant statement. People with knowledge and a belief in God believe that evolution is how God created us and all other living things.
Evolution created us as in the first life form ‘evolved’ from non living matter ?
What part of us is not matter?
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