Changes

==Mitochondria Inheritance==

==Mitochondria Inheritance==

In most animal species, mitochondria appear to be primarily inherited through the maternal lineage, though some recent evidence suggests that in rare instances mitochondria may also be inherited via a paternal route. Typically, a sperm carries mitochondria in its tail as an energy source for its long journey to the egg. When the sperm attaches to the egg during fertilization, the tail falls off. Consequently, the only mitochondria the new organism usually gets are from the egg its mother provided. Therefore, unlike [[nuclear DNA]], [[mitochondrial DNA]] doesn't get shuffled every generation, so it is presumed to change at a slower rate, which is useful for the study of human [[evolution]]. [[Mitochondrial DNA]] is also used in forensic science as a tool for identifying corpses or body parts, and has been implicated in a number of genetic diseases, such as [[Alzheimer's disease]] and [[diabetes]].

In most animal species, mitochondria appear to be primarily inherited through the maternal lineage, though some recent evidence suggests that in rare instances mitochondria may also be inherited via a paternal route. Typically, a sperm carries mitochondria in its tail as an energy source for its long journey to the egg. When the sperm attaches to the egg during fertilization, the tail falls off. Consequently, the only mitochondria the new organism usually gets are from the egg its mother provided. Therefore, unlike [[nuclear DNA]], [[mitochondrial DNA]] doesn't get shuffled every generation. However, the mt genome has a higher rate of mutation, and consists of only some sixteen thousand base pairs. Hence, it is often more useful to gauge the "genetic distance" between two persons (since sequencing after DNA isolation is much quicker and it provides a finer genetic comb). It is also useful for the study of human [[evolution]]. [[Mitochondrial DNA]] is also used in forensic science as a tool for identifying corpses or body parts, and has been implicated in a number of genetic diseases, such as [[Alzheimer's disease]] and [[diabetes]].

==Ethnic Differences==

==Ethnic Differences==