How many mutations do your cells have?

A human cell has about 3 billion base pairs of DNA.

The rate of substitution mutations in cells is about 1 per 108 (100 million) base pairs of nucleotides.

Therefore, each cell division yields about 30 mutations.

Your average cell has divided about 44 times from a single zygote.

After 44 divisions, your average cell has accumulated about 1,320 mutations.

You have 10 trillion (1013) somatic cells (chapter 15).

You have a total of more than 13,000 trillion, or 14 quadrillion (13 x 1015) mutations in your cells, not counting gametes.

This also does not count insertions, deletions, and other chromosomal damages.

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