Founder Mutation

Founder Mutations is the genetic legacy of a founder of a population, which is passed on through inheritance. People who have founder mutations have damaged DNA embedded in a larger stretch of DNA that is identical to that of the founders. This region of shared DNA is called a haplotype. If you share a haplotype with someone then that means that you guys share a common ancestor and are related. One can determine the age of a founding mutation by the length of the haplotype because over time the haplotype becomes shorter. The haplotype in the founder is an entire chromosome that contains the mutation. The hot spot is different because it is a DNA base pair that is prone to mutation. People who have hot spots are not related, so the rest of their DNA varies, unlike in people who have the founder mutation that do share some DNA.

The reason people have genetic mutations is because the mutations gives people an advantage in warding off diseases. If you have the dominant trait of a mutation you could have an unwanted disease, but if you have the recessive trait, that will help you. People who carry a single copy of the sickle cell disease are much less likely to contract malaria. Individuals with two copies of the mutation die off soon, but people with one copy live longer because their copy helps them fight off diseases. This is called balancing selection. This chart will give more examples of how mutations can help:

            The ability of identifying founder mutations helps doctors identify certain patients to be tested for diseases. Also, geneticists can use the haplotype to trace back the origins of populations and their migration tracks. They can look back at a certain time and region to help find the connections between all humans.