This special DNA no longer comes only from moms | Science

The mitochondria, the organelles that feed the cells, harbor their own DNA, and scientists have long thought that only mothers could transmit this genetic material to their children. However, a new study suggests that fathers may not be what we thought they were, reported NOVA, of PBS. By sequencing the mitochondrial DNA of individuals with mysterious symptoms and their loved ones, scientists have uncovered evidence of paternal inheritance in 17 people from three different families, they revealed this week in the newspaper. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Transmission from one father to another – which researchers have already seen in sheep, flies and even mice – is probably rare in humans, but the new work suggests that we are more likely to carry a mitochondrial inheritance from our father.