Walter Wayne said- "mtDNA Eve's parents can also claim the title of Adam and Eve."
Walt- We must be careful about what title they would actually be claiming.
"Mitochondrial Eve" (Maeve) is the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) of all humans with respect to MDNA only. That's all.
True, her mother is also an ancestor of all MDNA on Earth, but not the most recent ancestor, so she can't hold the title of "Maeve". As Dawkins says "Mitochondrial Eve" should be seen as a title, not an individual. The titleholder will change as humans evolve and die out.
He quotes the case of the last female native of Tasmania, who died in the 19th century. Tasmanians had been physically isolated for ~13,000 years from the rest of mankind.
Before her death, the title of "Maeve" must have been held by a woman ancestral to both all Tasmanian MDNA as well as all other MDNA.
After she died, the MRCA of all MDNA (the title "Maeve") may have jumped forward 10 millenia, to it's present title holder.
Maeve's father is irrelevant. Any man would have done, since his MDNA is not passed on.
If we were saying that Eve was the MRCA of all humans in every sense,or any sense other than the special case of MDNA, then her father's contribution would be important. But that's not what is claimed for "Maeve".
Eve is not necessarily ancestral to all humans. She is merely ancestral to all human MDNA.
Genetic groups can have quite different family trees from the vehicles (people in this case) who carry them.
Walt- We must be careful about what title they would actually be claiming.
"Mitochondrial Eve" (Maeve) is the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) of all humans with respect to MDNA only. That's all.
True, her mother is also an ancestor of all MDNA on Earth, but not the most recent ancestor, so she can't hold the title of "Maeve". As Dawkins says "Mitochondrial Eve" should be seen as a title, not an individual. The titleholder will change as humans evolve and die out.
He quotes the case of the last female native of Tasmania, who died in the 19th century. Tasmanians had been physically isolated for ~13,000 years from the rest of mankind.
Before her death, the title of "Maeve" must have been held by a woman ancestral to both all Tasmanian MDNA as well as all other MDNA.
After she died, the MRCA of all MDNA (the title "Maeve") may have jumped forward 10 millenia, to it's present title holder.
Maeve's father is irrelevant. Any man would have done, since his MDNA is not passed on.
If we were saying that Eve was the MRCA of all humans in every sense,or any sense other than the special case of MDNA, then her father's contribution would be important. But that's not what is claimed for "Maeve".
Eve is not necessarily ancestral to all humans. She is merely ancestral to all human MDNA.
Genetic groups can have quite different family trees from the vehicles (people in this case) who carry them.