Mutation Patterns in the Human Genome: More Variable Than Expected

Complexity Digest 2009.05 - 01.01

2009/02/27

Editor-in-Chief: Carlos Gershenson
Founding Editor: Gottfried Mayer

Mutation Patterns in the Human Genome: More Variable Than Expected, PLoS Biol

Excerpt: The development, survival, and reproduction of an organism depend on the genetic information that is carried in its genome, yet the transmission of genetic information is not perfectly accurate: new mutations occur at each generation. These mutations are the primary cause of the genetic diversity on which natural selection can operate, and hence are the sine qua non of evolution. A better knowledge of mutation processes is crucial for investigating the causes of genetic diseases or cancer and for understanding evolutionary processes.

Source: Mutation Patterns in the Human Genome: More Variable Than Expected
[ http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000028 ], Laurent Duret, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000028, PLoS Biol 7(2): e1000028, 2009/02/03