4 ms·

The numbers I've seen are something like as low as a few thousand for European population, but more like 5k for African populations Of course, these are model

The numbers I've seen are something like as low as a few thousand for European population, but more like 5k for African populations Of course, these are model populations based on idealized breeding right- I believe the way these estimates work is that they represent the idealized minimum bound for a real population that was likely magnitudes greater but had lots of deaths. And as others have pointed out I believe there were several bottle neck events in the 'recent' past

JoeAltmaier 5y ago
Then there is "Mitochondrial Eve", a single individual from whom entire sections of humanity descend!
- gonnano 5y ago
  Bryan Sykesan, An Oxford geneticist claimed all Europeans came from 7 females he called the 7 daughters of Eve, although he wasn't always right in his assumption's
- hutzlibu 5y ago
  From Wikipedia: "Cann, Stoneking and Wilson did not use the term "Mitochondrial Eve" or even the name "Eve" in their original paper; it appears to originate with a 1987 article in Science by Roger Lewin, headlined "The Unmasking of Mitochondrial Eve."[19] The biblical connotation was very clear from the start. The accompanying research news in Nature had the title "Out of the garden of Eden."[20] Wilson himself preferred the term "Lucky Mother"[21] and thought the use of the name Eve "regrettable" It is unfortunate, that biblical myths still try to influence research. But it is popular.
  - CryptoPunk 5y ago
    Myths are useful cultural references, in being universally understood. I didn't interpret the use of the term Eve here to connote any religious intimations.
    - hutzlibu 5y ago
      Hm, but here even the researchers clearly said, that the use of "Eve" implicates a interpretation ( that there was only one Birthmother, like Eve, so a "proof" hat the bible is partly right) that is not true, but this is what understood by many, because also the news releases are skewed this way.

JoeAltmaier 5y ago

Then there is "Mitochondrial Eve", a single individual from whom entire sections of humanity descend!

gonnano 5y ago
Bryan Sykesan, An Oxford geneticist claimed all Europeans came from 7 females he called the 7 daughters of Eve, although he wasn't always right in his assumption's
hutzlibu 5y ago
From Wikipedia: "Cann, Stoneking and Wilson did not use the term "Mitochondrial Eve" or even the name "Eve" in their original paper; it appears to originate with a 1987 article in Science by Roger Lewin, headlined "The Unmasking of Mitochondrial Eve."[19] The biblical connotation was very clear from the start. The accompanying research news in Nature had the title "Out of the garden of Eden."[20] Wilson himself preferred the term "Lucky Mother"[21] and thought the use of the name Eve "regrettable" It is unfortunate, that biblical myths still try to influence research. But it is popular.
- CryptoPunk 5y ago
  Myths are useful cultural references, in being universally understood. I didn't interpret the use of the term Eve here to connote any religious intimations.
  - hutzlibu 5y ago
    Hm, but here even the researchers clearly said, that the use of "Eve" implicates a interpretation ( that there was only one Birthmother, like Eve, so a "proof" hat the bible is partly right) that is not true, but this is what understood by many, because also the news releases are skewed this way.