NEW YORK — Children of older fathers are known to be more at
risk for diseases including schizophrenia and autism. Now, a new
scientific look at the genes passed down within families may
have pinpointed a reason why. The study, reported Wednesday in
the journal Nature, found that older fathers transmit more new
DNA variations to their children than younger dads, with each
added year of age resulting in an average of 2 extra new
mutations. The genetic changes occur in men as they age because
of environmental factors, such as radiation, or through mistakes
that occur in cell division. The research led by scientists at
Reykjavik, Iceland-based deCode Genetics Inc., is the first to
quantify the number of new, or de novo, mutations that fathers
hand along by age to their children. The findings may suggest
that dads-to-be should consider collecting their sperm at a
young age and storing it for later use, according to Alexey
Kondrashov, a professor of evolutionary biology at the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.