- #1
Bailiac
- 6
- 0
Using dendrochronology to get DNA mutation rates?
A question:
Would it be possible to use DNA analysis in combination with tree ring dating get an accurate DNA mutation rate?
By extracting DNA from the inner rings of a tree, shouldn't it be possible to compare it to the DNA from outer still living part of a tree? By doing so you could have a accurate time between mutations(?)
Now this is a pretty obvious experiment, so what my question really is, is this:
1) Does what I say make any sense? ( I really don't know much about trees and so forth)
2) Is it possible? ( How quickly does DNA degrade? Might it be that there isn't any good DNA left in the inner rings? Are there other problems? )
3) Is the average life time of a tree too short to get any real long term mutation rate predictions?
4) Has this research already been done? (If so, could anyone point me toward an article? )
Thanks in advance and greets from a college student
Edit: Just to clear something up, I indeed meant somatic cell changes. I don't know what kind of mechanisms a tree has to eliminate them, but I initially thought there might still be enough to overwhelm it. But to be honest, now that I've though some more about it, I really don't think this will work at all. Nevermind this mindfart
A question:
Would it be possible to use DNA analysis in combination with tree ring dating get an accurate DNA mutation rate?
By extracting DNA from the inner rings of a tree, shouldn't it be possible to compare it to the DNA from outer still living part of a tree? By doing so you could have a accurate time between mutations(?)
Now this is a pretty obvious experiment, so what my question really is, is this:
1) Does what I say make any sense? ( I really don't know much about trees and so forth)
2) Is it possible? ( How quickly does DNA degrade? Might it be that there isn't any good DNA left in the inner rings? Are there other problems? )
3) Is the average life time of a tree too short to get any real long term mutation rate predictions?
4) Has this research already been done? (If so, could anyone point me toward an article? )
Thanks in advance and greets from a college student
Edit: Just to clear something up, I indeed meant somatic cell changes. I don't know what kind of mechanisms a tree has to eliminate them, but I initially thought there might still be enough to overwhelm it. But to be honest, now that I've though some more about it, I really don't think this will work at all. Nevermind this mindfart
Last edited: