Biocodicology - A Deeper Dive

[MichelleL11]

One question by the way, in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. for the ancestor of today's domestic chickens, does "SNP" also mean "single nucletotide polymorphisms" ?
Is this definition of SNPs correct? ( for me this is the most understandable one ).

SNPs are also referred to as "successful point mutations", i.e. genetic changes that have become established to a certain degree in the gene pool of a population, i.e. have become heritable changes therein.

Hi, bi3mw:

Yes, that is what SNP stands for -- note that when you are talking, it's called a "snip" or "snips."  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is another definition that might include some useful differentiations.  One thing I don't like about your first definition is the implication that establishment within a genome is implied to be directly linked to function.  A subset of SNPs do have a direct functional impact, particularly if they are present in the part of the gene that encodes the instructions for the protein (e.g. are within the "open reading frame" that is transcribed into messenger RNA).  Then that change is seen in the protein and may provide an organism some sort of selective advantage.  

Note however that many other DNA changes often "go along for the ride" with other sequences that are actually impart the "selected for" function.  How closely a SNP might be associated with another selected for trait is called "linkage" and can be mathematically measured with enough crosses (offspring results).  The first DNA maps were actually linkage maps -- but now everything is done through sequencing.  Thus, existence of SNPs were identified many years ago but identification of them and their associations are very much still an ongoing project.  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is an article that talks about how SNPs were isolated in the early 2000s told in the context of human sequences that you might find interesting.   

SNPs are what most individual identification using DNA is based upon.  If they are well enough documented, SNPs can be used to predict a fair number of things about the individual organism that the DNA was isolated from.  Groups of SNPs can result in an individual identification (think paternity testing).  As a way to identify individuals, it is similar to STR (short tandem repeats).  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is a much later article that compares and contrasts the use of SNPs and STRs for commercial livestock (Angus cattle) parentage determination, thus is more applicable to some of the analysis that could be done with the Voynich.  But once you've got the hang of how SNPs work, you might want to read this general You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. that talks about their limitations.

Hope this helps and happy to answer any other questions anyone may have.