
In Huge Shock, Mitochondrial DNA Can Be Inherited from Fathers - max_sendfeld
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/in-huge-shock-mitochondrial-dna-can-be-inherited-from-fathers/all/
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rco8786
Wasn’t this first discovered in 2002? Unclear why it’s currently taking up two
top spots on HN, with headlines like “Plot Twist” and “Huge Shock”.

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MaxBarraclough
Seconded. Let's leave that kind of headline to the tabloids.

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JoeAltmaier
Not well-versed in genetics, but isn't it just possible that this finding
could be explained by casting some doubt on who the father actually is? If the
mitochondrial DNA came from a father with a different mother, it could look
like it came from a different father? that sort of thing.

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dTal
If no mitochondrial DNA is inherited from the father, why should it matter who
anyone's father is?

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JoeAltmaier
Ah! Now I get it. And its very hard to be confused about who the mother is...

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tzs
> And its very hard to be confused about who the mother is...

...but not impossible:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Fairchild](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Fairchild)

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andyjohnson0
There's an article in the NEJM from 2002 reporting something similar [1] - at
least to me as a layman. Since the linked PNAS paper is paywalled, can anyone
comment on what's actually new with this announcement?

[1] _Paternal Inheritance of Mitochondrial DNA_
[https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa020350](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa020350)

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eridan2
In 2002 one person was found. Now they have 17 different people from three
families and they were able to analyze the pattern of transmission across
generations. This article explains better:
[https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/11/plot-twist-
mitochond...](https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/11/plot-twist-
mitochondrial-dna-can-come-from-both-parents/)

