A baby boy has been born using DNA from three people – the first ever birth resulting from a new technique that helps people with rare genetic diseases have healthy children…New Scientist answers your burning questions.
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How much DNA comes from each person?
Almost all of the boy’s DNA will come from his mother and father. That’s because most of our genes…are found in the cell’s nucleus; just 37 are found in the mitochondria.
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Is the new method safe?
As far as safety is concerned, it is too soon to know. The baby boy is the first to be born with the new method, so we have too few births to draw conclusions from. For now, though, it seems that the boy – now 5 months old – is healthy.
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Why is it so controversial?
Some people…argue that mitochondrial DNA goes some way to shaping important characteristics, such as personality. But the scientific consensus is that swapping mitochondria is similar to changing a battery – it’s unlikely to have much, if any, influence over a person’s behavior.
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