Of or referring to the mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell.Mitochondrial Deoxyribonucleic acid: the chemical inside the nucleus of a cell that carries the genetic instructions for making living organisms.DNA Summary

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In the late 1980's and early 1990's a number of studies were done examining the Of or referring to the mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell.mitochondrial Deoxyribonucleic acid: the chemical inside the nucleus of a cell that carries the genetic instructions for making living organisms.DNA ( Genetic material found in mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell.mtDNA) of women all over the world. These studies, nicknamed the "Eve theory," suggested that the last common ancestor of modern man (actually women) appeared within the last 200,000 years (1-4), much more recently than previously thought. Refinements in the measurements lowered the original estimates to 135,000 years (4) and finally 100,000 years (5). Scientists chose to examine Genetic material found in mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell.mtDNAbecause, being enclosed within the subcellular organelle called the mitochondrion, there is no genetic recombination (males make no contribution of Genetic material found in mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell.mtDNA to the fetus). All Genetic material found in mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell.mtDNA comes from our mothers and is passed down from mother to daughter, since only mitochondria from the egg are used to make up the fetus. By tracing the differences in Genetic material found in mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell.mtDNA from peoples around the world, scientists have calculated the probable date of the last common ancestor of modern humans at 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.

References

1. R.L. Cann, M. Stoneking, A.C. Wilson. 1987. Of or referring to the mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell.Mitochondrial Deoxyribonucleic acid: the chemical inside the nucleus of a cell that carries the genetic instructions for making living organisms.DNA and human evolution. Nature 325: 31.

2. L. Vigilant, M. Stoneking, A.C. Harpending, K. Hawkes, A.C. Wilson. 1991. African populations and the evolution of human Of or referring to the mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell.mitochondrial Deoxyribonucleic acid: the chemical inside the nucleus of a cell that carries the genetic instructions for making living organisms.DNA. Science 253: 1503.

3. M. Hasegawa, S. Horai. 1991. Time of the deepest root for A common variation in the sequence of DNA among individuals of a species or race.polymorphism in human Of or referring to the mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell.mitochondrial Deoxyribonucleic acid: the chemical inside the nucleus of a cell that carries the genetic instructions for making living organisms.DNA. J. Mol. Evol. 32: 37.

4. Stoneking M, Sherry ST, Redd AJ, Vigilant L. 1992. New approaches to dating suggest a recent age for the human Genetic material found in mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell.mtDNA ancestor. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci. 337: 167-175.

5. Whitfield, L.S., J.E. Suston, and P.N. Goodfellow. 1995. Sequence variation of the human One of the two sex chromosomes that determines maleness in mammals, carried and passed down from males to males.Y chromosome. Nature 378: 379-380.