The Real Eve
Encyclopedia
The Real Eve is the title of a popular science book written by Stephen Oppenheimer
and a documentary
based on the book.
The book is largely based on the "Out of Africa theory" of human origins. Oppenheimer uses information from various disciplines including genetics, archeology, anthropology and linguistics to synthesize theories on the origin of modern humans and their subsequent dispersal around the world.
The Eve in the title refers to Mitochondrial Eve
, a name used for the most recent common ancestor
of all humans in the matrilineal (mother to daughter) line of descent.
Oppenheimer writes that there was only one migration out of Africa that contributed to the peopling of the rest of the world. Oppenheimer believes that anatomically modern humans
crossed the Red Sea
from the Horn of Africa
and followed the "southern coastal route" once in Asia. Thus Oppenheimer is opposed to the theory that there was another out of Africa migration using northern route along the Nile and into the Levant
as suggested by Lahr and Foley 1994. The book also supports the theory that modern humans were in South Asia during the Toba Castrophe
.
Oppenheimer uses familiar names to describe genetic lineages. The biblical analogies of Adam and Eve are used to describe the Most recent common ancestors via mitochondrial DNA
and the y-chromosome
. Other male lineages are described as Cain, Abel and Seth. Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups
are frequently described with female names from regions where the haplogroups are common. For example haplogroup M
is named Manju
as it is frequent in India, and Haplogroup N
is named "Nasreen" as it is predominant in Arabia.
, was released in 2002. The documentary was produced by the American
cable TV network the Discovery Channel
and was narrated by Danny Glover
and directed by Andrew Piddington.
Stephen Oppenheimer
Stephen Oppenheimer is a British paediatrician, geneticist, and writer. He is a member of Green Templeton College, Oxford and an honorary fellow of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and carries out and publishes research in the fields of genetics and human prehistory.-Career:Oppenheimer...
and a documentary
Television documentary
Documentary television is a genre of television programming that broadcasts documentaries.* Documentary television series, a television series which is made up of documentary episodes....
based on the book.
The book is largely based on the "Out of Africa theory" of human origins. Oppenheimer uses information from various disciplines including genetics, archeology, anthropology and linguistics to synthesize theories on the origin of modern humans and their subsequent dispersal around the world.
The Eve in the title refers to Mitochondrial Eve
Mitochondrial Eve
In the field of human genetics, Mitochondrial Eve refers to the matrilineal "MRCA" . In other words, she was the woman from whom all living humans today descend, on their mother's side, and through the mothers of those mothers and so on, back until all lines converge on one person...
, a name used for the most recent common ancestor
Most recent common ancestor
In genetics, the most recent common ancestor of any set of organisms is the most recent individual from which all organisms in the group are directly descended...
of all humans in the matrilineal (mother to daughter) line of descent.
Book
The book was initially published under a number of different names including Out of Africa's Eden: the peopling of the world in January 2003, and The Real Eve: Modern Man's Journey Out of Africa in June 2003.Synopsis
In the book, Oppenheimer supports the theory that modern humans first emerged in Africa and that modern human behavior emerged in Africa prior to the Out of Africa migration.Oppenheimer writes that there was only one migration out of Africa that contributed to the peopling of the rest of the world. Oppenheimer believes that anatomically modern humans
Anatomically modern humans
The term anatomically modern humans in paleoanthropology refers to early individuals of Homo sapiens with an appearance consistent with the range of phenotypes in modern humans....
crossed the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
from the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
and followed the "southern coastal route" once in Asia. Thus Oppenheimer is opposed to the theory that there was another out of Africa migration using northern route along the Nile and into the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
as suggested by Lahr and Foley 1994. The book also supports the theory that modern humans were in South Asia during the Toba Castrophe
Toba catastrophe theory
The Toba supereruption was a supervolcanic eruption that occurred some time between 69,000 and 77,000 years ago at Lake Toba . It is recognized as one of the Earth's largest known eruptions...
.
Oppenheimer uses familiar names to describe genetic lineages. The biblical analogies of Adam and Eve are used to describe the Most recent common ancestors via mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial Eve
In the field of human genetics, Mitochondrial Eve refers to the matrilineal "MRCA" . In other words, she was the woman from whom all living humans today descend, on their mother's side, and through the mothers of those mothers and so on, back until all lines converge on one person...
and the y-chromosome
Y-chromosomal Adam
In human genetics, Y-chromosomal Adam is the theoretical most recent common ancestor from whom all living people are descended patrilineally . Many studies report that Y-chromosomal Adam lived as early as around 142,000 years ago and possibly as recently as 60,000 years ago...
. Other male lineages are described as Cain, Abel and Seth. Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups
Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroups
In human genetics, a human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup is a haplogroup defined by differences in human mitochondrial DNA. Haplogroups are used to represent the major branch points on the mitochondrial phylogenetic tree...
are frequently described with female names from regions where the haplogroups are common. For example haplogroup M
Haplogroup M (mtDNA)
In human mitochondrial genetics, Haplogroup M is a human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup. An enormous haplogroup spanning all the continents, the macro-haplogroup M, like its sibling N, is a descendant of haplogroup L3....
is named Manju
Manju
Manju is a Sanskrit word with following associated meanings - pleasant, sweet, snow, beautiful, Lord Shiva's name, clouds, morning dew and is predominantly an Indian male/female/given name.Manju, means a language of clouds.That is Rain...
as it is frequent in India, and Haplogroup N
Haplogroup N (mtDNA)
In human mitochondrial genetics, Haplogroup N is a human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup. An enormous haplogroup spanning many continents, the macro-haplogroup N, like its sibling M, is a descendant of haplogroup L3....
is named "Nasreen" as it is predominant in Arabia.
Television documentary
The documentary, also known as Where We Came From in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, was released in 2002. The documentary was produced by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cable TV network the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
and was narrated by Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
and directed by Andrew Piddington.