In the news: Who were the first humans to reach Aotearoa?
Published in The Press, Dominion Post and provincial daily papers on 22 Jan 2017. Part 1 was published on 15 Jan:
In last week’s article, we explained how some of the DNA we inherit from our mothers enables us to trace the journeys of our ancestors out of Africa. This clever reverse tracking, comparing the DNA from living people and fossils, was the brainchild of New Zealand scientist Allan Wilson.
Allan Wilson, aged 20, on graduation from University of Otago
To recap: everyone inherits a small loop of DNA from their mother, which is not combined with father’s DNA when the sperm fertilises the egg. It sits outside the cell nucleus where all our other DNA resides. This DNA is contained in, and is the work-plan for, our mitochondria, which are self-contained spherical units that generate the energy to drive cell functions.
Occasionally, on average once every 100 generations, there is a mutation in this mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Once a mutation occurs, it is passed on to all future generations of that woman’s children and thus acts as an ancestral sign post. These changes enable evolutionary biologists to trace our maternal line very accurately, going right back to our common origins in Africa. See more at:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/100629585/dna-who-were-the-first-humans-to-reach-Aotearoa
Based on information and research provided by Professor Lisa Matisoo-Smith FRSNZ, University of Otago
