All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

Adam and Eve by Jacob Jordaens, 1640s

Genetic ‘Adam and Eve’: All Humans are Descendants of One Man and Woman Who Lived Over 100,000 Years Ago

Print

According to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, Adam and Eve were the first man and woman and the ancestors of all humans. While non-believers refute the idea of a God that created human beings in the Garden of Eden, scientific research has revealed that all humans alive today are descendants of one man and one woman who may have lived at the same time over 100,000 years ago.

In 1987, studies of mitochondrial DNA (which tracks maternal ancestry), suggested that all human beings were descendants of one woman who may have lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago. Similar research has been carried out on the Y chromosome of men (which tracks paternal ancestry), from various places, but here the estimates of research vary quite widely—from 60,000 years to 580,000 years ago. However, in 2013, a study published in the journal Science showed that almost every man alive today can trace his origins to one man who lived approximately 135,000 years ago, and that this ancient man was alive at the same time as the woman who his known as the ‘mother of all women’, providing evidence for an ancient ‘Adam and Eve’, popularly known as Y-chromosomal Adam and mitochondrial Eve.

Adam and Eve by Peter Paul Rubens, 1628

Adam and Eve by Peter Paul Rubens, 1628 (public domain)

Most Comprehensive Study on Male Sex Chromosome

The research team reached their conclusions by carrying out the most complete study to date on the male sex chromosome. The study involved sequencing the entire genome of the Y chromosome for 69 men from seven global populations.  By assuming a mutation rate linked to archaeological events (such as the migration of people), the team concluded that all males in their global sample shared a single male ancestor in Africa roughly 125,000 to 156,000 years ago.

Mitochondrial Eve

A similar analysis has also been conducted to trace back a common ancestor of all women, known as ‘mitochondrial Eve’.  The DNA from mitochondria, the energy centre of a cell, is carried inside a female’s egg, so only women pass it on to their children. The DNA held inside mitochondria can therefore reveal the maternal lineage to ancient ‘Eve’, who is believed to have lived in Africa between 99,000 and 148,000 years ago – almost the same time period during which the Y chromosome ‘Adam’ lived. 

Adam and Eve Did Not Reproduce

Before getting too excited, the research team were eager to emphasize the fact that the genetic ‘Adam and Eve’ are not the same as the biblical Adam and Eve. “They weren't the first modern humans on the planet,” reports LiveScience “but instead just the two out of thousands of people alive at the time with unbroken male or female lineages that continue on today”.

Y-chromosomal Adam and mitochondrial Eve were just the two out of thousands of people alive at the time with unbroken male or female lineages that continue on today. Example chart showing the evolution of mitochondrial DNA

Y-chromosomal Adam and mitochondrial Eve were just the two out of thousands of people alive at the time with unbroken male or female lineages that continue on today. Example chart showing the evolution of mitochondrial DNA (CC by SA 3.0)

Scientists point out that this ancient ‘Adam’ and ‘Eve’ probably didn’t live near each other, let alone reproduce. The dates provided on both the male and female side are only an estimation. Different DNA samples lead to different estimates of how old our common ancestors really are and only further analyses will help to pinpoint a more precise date range. Variations in results are due to the fact that gene studies always rely on a sample of DNA, which can never provide a complete picture of human history.

Researchers are now working on studies that incorporate more diverse populations and are aiming to narrow the time window to a more precise range.

Top image: Adam and Eve by Jacob Jordaens, 1640s (public domain)

By April Holloway

 

Comments

I liked April’s comment that it is DNA ancestry that persisted. Speaking as an anthropologist, it is almost impossible to put homo ancestry into words. We still have to shed the convenient “tree” and “species” imagery that cripples our ability to imagine life in other ways. 

 

Apparently you didn't read where Chang said this is just a thought experiment, not meant to be particularly realistic. Also it could be off by 2 million years lol. That's what he says about his own "proofs".

In fact Joseph T. Chang (Department of Statistics, Yale University) proves mathematically that the point in time where the most recent common ancestor of all living humans lived is surprisingly recent, between 5000 and 10000 years (http://www.stat.yale.edu/~jtc5/papers/Ancestors.pdf). This page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identical_ancestors_point) discusses multiple angles to common ancestry referring to other similar research.

This article focuses on two genetic factors and ignores all others just because these two are so easy to track - one transmitted only through maternal line, the other one transmitted only through paternal line.

My own limited experience with genealogy showed that in a small town of less than 1000 inhabitants everyone living there today is directly related to everyone who lived there 6 generations ago. I am estimating that in an average country everyone living there today is related to everyone who lived there 1000 years ago. Everyone living in the world today are for similar reasons probably directly related to everyone that lived in Africa 100.000 years ago (not ruling out odd exceptions and counting any other primate lineage that did have offsprings with our ancestors).

This artice gives the impression that all others than these two so called genealogical adam and eve have not contributed genetically to anyone today. Just check the graphic with the maternal lineage - the upside down tree of ladies in black - above and ask yourself "What about the husbands of all those ladies in black?"

I only keep up on this stuff to see if any of it will ever challenge me, but thus far, everything, including the Adam gene is all gibberish which aside from mentioning Adam and Eve a lot and other religious stuff really has nothing knowledgeable to say. It doesn't "shut me up," other then to astound me with it's total inanity. This is obviously directed toward the uneducated and ignorant among us. In that, it succeeds very well.

Pages

aprilholloway's picture

April

April Holloway is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. For privacy reasons, she has previously written on Ancient Origins under the pen name April Holloway, but is now choosing to use her real name, Joanna Gillan.

Joanna... Read More

Next article