There are two meanings for Genetic Distance:
- Genetic Distance is the number of differences, or mutations, between two
sets of results. A genetic distance of zero means there are no differences in
the results being compared against one another, i.e., an exact match. This is
the meaning when comparing Y-chromosome DNA or mitochondrial DNA. - For autosomal DNA comparisons, genetic distance may refer to the size of a
DNA segment. The genetic distance is then the length of the segment in
centiMorgans.