FLICKR, GRAHAM RICHARDSON
Researchers estimate that each individual human inherits some 60 genetic mutations not found in either parent—an average of one mutation for every 100 million nucleotides. Previous estimates of human mutation rate have been based on averages of many individuals, but this new count is the first direct measure of the genetic novelties each child brings into the world. The researchers counted the number of new mutations found in two children whose genomes (as well as their parents' genomes) were sequenced as part of the 1000 Genomes Project. The results, published online this week in Nature Genetics, showed that the sources of these mutations vary: while one child derived 92 percent of his mutations from his father's sperm, the other inherited 64 percent from his mother's ...
