Question

Ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was extracted from the skeleton of a male infant found in association with Clovis artifacts and buried around 12,600 years ago. Analysis showed that the population to which this individual belonged is______

Answer 1

The population to which the ancient infant skeleton belonged is believed to be Mitochondrial Eve, the common ancestor of H. sapiens around 200,000 years ago.

Step-by-step explanation:

The population to which the ancient infant skeleton belonged is believed to be Mitochondrial Eve, the common ancestor of H. sapiens around 200,000 years ago. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is passed down maternally, and the lack of recombination in mtDNA allows researchers to trace our ancestry back to one female who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago. By analyzing mutational relationships in mtDNA, scientists have determined this common ancestor as Mitochondrial Eve.