GENEALOGY-DNA-L Archives

From: "Melinde" <>
Subject: [DNA] Bottlenecks and variation
Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2002 16:50:06 -0400

It seems to me that I recently heard on NPR mention of an article in which an catastrophic theory was advanced to explain lack of variation in modern chimpanzee DNA at certain sites. The problem was to explain the resistance to AIDS demonstrated by all modern chimpanzees, who evidently contract HIV, but rarely or never see it develop into full blown AIDS.
Chimpanzee DNA shows as much or more variation in other areas, as is seen in humans, but in this one site, there is little or no variation. The explanation suggested was that there was a virus similar to AIDS that decimated the chimpanzee population at some distant time, leaving only survivors with a particular genetic makeup. Assuming that I understood what's being postulated, my question to the list specialists is, are there similar patches of human mtDNA or parts of the Y chromosome that show little or no variation that might be explained in this way, and if there are, where might I read more about it?
Melinde

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• [DNA] Bottlenecks and variation by "Melinde" <>