Mitochondrial Eve, the mother of all mothers

  • Mitochondrial DNA is transmitted from mothers to daughters
Mitochondrial DNA is transmitted from mothers to daughters
 

Mitochondrial Eve is the name used to refer to a woman who is believed to have passed her mitochondrial DNA down to every living human since her. She's thought to have lived in East Africa, and is sometimes referred to as 'the mother of us all'. Don't worry about grabbing her a card for Mother's Day though, as she's estimated to have lived around 200,000 years ago!