Editing Mitochondrial Eve (section)

===Early research===

Early research using [[molecular clock]] methods was done during the late 1970s to early 1980s. [[Allan Wilson (biologist)|Allan Wilson]], [[Mark Stoneking]], [[Rebecca L. Cann]] and Wesley Brown found that [[mutation]] in human mtDNA was unexpectedly fast, at 0.02 substitution per base (1%) in a million years, which is 5–10 times faster than in [[nuclear DNA]].<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Brown WM, George M, Wilson AC |title=Rapid evolution of animal mitochondrial DNA |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=76 |issue=4 |pages=1967–1971 |date=April 1979 |pmid=109836 |pmc=383514 |doi=10.1073/pnas.76.4.1967 |doi-access=free |bibcode=1979PNAS...76.1967B }}</ref> Related work allowed for an analysis of the evolutionary relationships among gorillas, [[Pan (genus)|chimpanzee]]s ([[common chimpanzee]] and [[bonobo]]) and humans.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Ferris SD, Wilson AC, Brown WM |title=Evolutionary tree for apes and humans based on cleavage maps of mitochondrial DNA |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=78 |issue=4 |pages=2432–2436 |date=April 1981 |pmid=6264476 |pmc=319360 |doi=10.1073/pnas.78.4.2432 |doi-access=free |bibcode=1981PNAS...78.2432F }}</ref> With data from 21 human individuals, Brown published the first estimate on the age of the mt-MRCA at 180,000 years ago in 1980.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Brown WM |title=Polymorphism in mitochondrial DNA of humans as revealed by restriction endonuclease analysis |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=77 |issue=6 |pages=3605–3609 |date=June 1980 |pmid=6251473 |pmc=349666 |doi=10.1073/pnas.77.6.3605 |doi-access=free |bibcode=1980PNAS...77.3605B }}</ref> A statistical analysis published in 1982 was taken as evidence for [[recent African origin]] (a hypothesis which at the time was competing with Asian origin of ''H. sapiens'').<ref name=Cann82>{{cite journal |vauthors=Cann RL, Brown WM, Wilson AC |title=Evolution of human mitochondrial DNA: a preliminary report |journal=Progress in Clinical and Biological Research |volume=103 Pt A |issue=Pt A |pages=157–165 |year=1982 |pmid=6298804 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Cann RL, Wilson AC |title=Length mutations in human mitochondrial DNA |journal=Genetics |volume=104 |issue=4 |pages=699–711 |date=August 1983 |pmid=6311667 |pmc=1202135 |doi=10.1093/genetics/104.4.699 }}</ref><ref name="git" />