A young man is comparing the haplotype of his Y chromosome to that of his great grandfather. He is surprised to find that a few sequence differences exist between these two haplotypes. As new mutations do not arise in Y chromosomes, this is likely a result of his great grandfather not really being his great grandfather.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Y chromosomes can indeed accumulate mutations over generations, so differences in haplotypes between a man and his great grandfather could be due to new mutations rather than questioning paternity.

A Young Man Is Comparing the Haplotype of His Y