Not well-versed in genetics, but isn't it just possible that this finding could be explained by casting some doubt on who the father actually is? If the mitochondrial DNA came from a father with a different mother, it could look like it came from a different father? that sort of thing.
There's an article in the NEJM from 2002 reporting something similar [1] - at least to me as a layman. Since the linked PNAS paper is paywalled, can anyone comment on what's actually new with this announcement?<p>[1] <i>Paternal Inheritance of Mitochondrial DNA</i> <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa020350" rel="nofollow">https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa020350</a>