Your comment spawned a delightful train of thought where I imagined all the other fish trying, and failing, to successfully fuck before these two fish stumbled on how to do it.
It’s the most recent common female ancestor of all humanity, as determined by mitochondrial DNA.
Or put another way. If everyone traced their family lines back through their mothers, mitochondrial eve would be the first point where all those lines converged on a single woman
Imagine being the last (female, strictly matrilineal) descendant of one of her daughters: “If I die without a daughter, the line of Alice will end and that bitch Caitlin will become the new Eve!”
Hell, imagine fighting a secret war to extinguish the other line - now there’s a “secret society conspiracy” plot if I’ve ever seen one.
There’s also a Y-chromosomal Adam, but they lived many thousands of years apart. That seems very counterintuitive, but when it is explained to you by someone who knows what they’re talking about (i.e. not me), it does make sense.
To be fair, the concept of mitochondrial Eve still trips me out.
At some point if you go back far enough, we’re all the direct descendants of the first two fish who decided to fuck.
Your comment spawned a delightful train of thought where I imagined all the other fish trying, and failing, to successfully fuck before these two fish stumbled on how to do it.
The invention of fish Viagra was an incredible discovery.
We are just debris from a big explosion.
What is “mitochondrial Eve”?
It’s the most recent common female ancestor of all humanity, as determined by mitochondrial DNA.
Or put another way. If everyone traced their family lines back through their mothers, mitochondrial eve would be the first point where all those lines converged on a single woman
It helps me to remember that mitochondrial Eve isn’t a fixed individual, as well.
Imagine being the last (female, strictly matrilineal) descendant of one of her daughters: “If I die without a daughter, the line of Alice will end and that bitch Caitlin will become the new Eve!”
Hell, imagine fighting a secret war to extinguish the other line - now there’s a “secret society conspiracy” plot if I’ve ever seen one.
I’d watch that movie!
There’s also a Y-chromosomal Adam, but they lived many thousands of years apart. That seems very counterintuitive, but when it is explained to you by someone who knows what they’re talking about (i.e. not me), it does make sense.
Yeah when it’s explained to me I realise “of course, that makes so much sense”.
And then I forget again, so I’m all Keanu-Reeves-whoa-face next time I think about it.
Cause behind the game Parasite Eve.
Removed by mod
Who was her mom though? And why isn’t she mitochondrial Eve? 🤔
Mitochondrial Eve is just the most recent common female ancestor. So her mom would also be a common female ancestor, but not the most recent one.