Mutation
-definition
-mutation types
-mutation rates
-phylogeny
-controversies
There are three ways of estimating the human mutation rate. The Biochemical Method is based on the known error rate of DNA replication and the average number of cell divisions between generations. It gives a rate of about 130 mutations per generation.
The Phylogenetic Method assumes that a large fraction of mammalian genomes is evolving at the neutral rate because it is junk DNA. Since we know that the rate of fixation of neutral alleles is equal to the mutation rate, we can estimate the mutation rate if we know the total number of nucleotide difference between two species (e.g. humans and chimpanzees) and the approximate time of divergence from a common ancestor. This gives an estimate of about 112 mutations per generation.
