We inherit three times more genetic mutations from our fathers than from our mothers , according to research just published in the journal Nature Genetics . The study, based on the DNA of 85,000 Icelandic residents, also shows that the number of mutations inherited from parents doubles as they age, from 20 to 58 years of age. The age of the mothers, however, does not matter. The results suggest that certain disorders such as autism could be "related to the age of the father," explains David Reich, a researcher at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the study. In fact, everything indicates that the increase in genetic alterations is linked to disorders of the brain more than any other organ , since neurons depend on more genes for their development and regulation.
The data obtained from the study also indicates that human ancestors separated from non-human primates between 3.7 and 6.6 million years ago . The data appear to contradict the fossil evidence, since 6.6 million years is less than the age of Sahelanthropus tchadensis , a fossil identified as a hominin close to but later than the common ancestor with chimpanzees, and is estimated to be 7 years old. millions of years.
