DNA replication is highly accurate. It results in about one mistake per billion nucleotides. For the human genome, how often would errors occur?
A) on average, once or twice in the lifetime of an individual
B) on average, six times each time the entire genome of a cell is replicated
C) on average, once every six cell divisions
D) on average, once in a lifetime in 10 percent of the population

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The human genome contains approximately 3 billion base pairs. Given the error rate of one mistake per billion nucleotides, this would result in about three mistakes each time a human cell's genome is replicated. Since each base pair consists of two nucleotides (one on each strand of the DNA double helix), and replication involves copying both strands, the total error count would be approximately six per cell division.

DNA Replication Is Highly Accurate