Ancestry and mtDNA, Mitochondrial Eve and Y Chromosome Adam By: Agnes, Aaron, Austin

Definition Ancestry: The origin or background of an individual otherwise known as lineage; ethnicity plays a large role in your ancestry as well. mtDNA: Stands for mitochondrial DNA which contains the complete hereditary information required for reproduction; also allowing for research of past human hereditary information. Mitochondrial Eve: Refers to the idea that all mtDNA can be traced back far enough to concur that all human are related due to the mtDNA given by their mothers, this leads back to the initial maternal figure known as Eve. Y Chromosome Adam: Refers to a very similar idea as mitochondrial Eve except that it relates to the study of the Y chromosome which is passed down only from male parents to male offspring. The entirety of the Y chromosome can be traced back to a paternal figure known to us as Adam. Fun Fact: In humans, the 16,569 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA encode for only 37 genes.

How it Works? Scientists have discovered that all males can be traced back to the Y chromosome of a single man (Adam) as well as the mother of all creation (Eve). However they still believe that the earthly mother and father lived many miles apart unlike the story the Bible portrays but have concluded that Adam and Eve did indeed live around the same time period. A single Y chromosome is passed down from male to male over time and thus as the world has been around for such a long period of time we see many genetic mutations and alterations. Researchers can reconstruct ancestral Y chromosome DNA sequences by reversing mutated DNA segments from humans to their original condition which are compared with DNA sequences of closely related organisms such as chimpanzees or gorillas to form a general outline of the original DNA sequence. In contrast the majority of the DNA comes from the mitochondria in the woman because her egg contains all the cytoplasm that makes up the majority of the zygote. It has been proven that males do obtain some mitochondrial DNA from their mother, however they cannot pass it on to their children because it withers and dies before it reaches the egg that needs to be fertilized in the female. Therefore mitochondrial DNA is only passed down from mother to daughter meaning that the DNA from all females can link back to the original maternal figure known as Eve.

Current and Future uses We use mtDNA for many things like comparing different individuals in an organism and identifying the relationships between them. We can see how closely related they are and see the ancestry of many generations. There are no future uses for mtDNA however we will continue to be able to connect all future generations to our original ancestors because of Mitochondrial Eve and Y chromosome Adam.

Risks and Benefits -The genetic test that is taken may only pinpoint a small percentage of mixed blood. Results have led some whites to apply for scholarships for minorities. And some African Americans have used the test to help prove they deserve an inheritance based on European ancestry. -Mitochondrial DNA can be used to learn about your chances of getting cancer

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