The Seven Daughters of Eve- Read It!

I am really interested in biology and genetics, so recently I've read a book about the connection between all humans. It's titled the Seven Daughters of Eve, and it's written by Bryan Sykes. It's a compelling book discussing the genetic relationships between all human beings. The main point of the book is to prove that every single person that is living or has lived can trace their family history back to one of seven women, the “seven daughters of Eve.” Bryan Sykes proves this idea throughout the book, but lays foundation in the beginning chapters. Bryan Sykes is a professor of genetics at the Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford, and has made paramount discoveries concerning the identification of ancient anthropological DNA and the properties of mitochondrial DNA that link us all together. Of course, Sykes made his conclusions with the help of former biologists and geneticists.

The book lays a stable base for Sykes’ theory, and he begins by explaining DNA. He explains its purpose in living things, and tells us that DNA codes for proteins, which essentially provide everything in the organism. He then explains how just by changing the sequence of the bases (A, T, G, and C) does the DNA code for a different protein.

In the next chapter, Sykes describes how several individuals within the same population are actually more related to people within another population. Regarding this, he displays two evolutionary trees. Evolutionary trees are representations of how different peoples are connected through common ancestors and when these common ancestors lived. These particular trees were created by comparing and contrasting several genes found in the DNA of the groups or individuals. A man named Anthony Edwards made the first in 1965, and Allan Wilson, Rebecca Cann, and Mark Stoneking made the second in 1987. The former provides a connection of populations in different regions. However, it fails to realize, as Sykes said, that when groups separate from their last common ancestor that they still interact with each other. The second evolutionary tree shows individual people instead of groups. This diagram also shows that even though somebody is European, for example, he or she may be more related to an African rather than a European.

The next chapter describes the function of mitochondrial DNA. It tells us that the mitochondrial DNA in a person is only their mother’s mitochondrial DNA, and that person has none of his or her father’s mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial DNA also provides a section called the control region that is not prone to many mutations. Thus, crosschecking mitochondrial DNA with others can identify a genetic relation or not. The book goes on to talk about Sykes’ techniques into copying the DNA of ancient organisms, and Sykes uses this knowledge to unlock the mystery of the Romanov family (the last imperial family of Russia) murder. Lastly, Sykes tells us about his trip to Rarotonga, an island in the Pacific Ocean. Immediately upon arrival, he wonders how the original Polynesians arrived there: from the Americas or Southeast Asia? He collected mitochondrial DNA samples from the hospital there and returned to Oxford. There, he found three different variants among the DNA, and the odd one out interestingly matched the sequence of an odd Hawaiian mitochondrial DNA sequence. Sykes has yet to find out the importance of this odd match.

The Seven Daughters of Eve is probably the best nonfiction book I’ve ever read. It gives a clear knowledge of genetics, and it teaches me knowledge about DNA in an interesting manor. The book also reinforces my knowledge of DNA already taught to me in school. In fact, many of the ideas in the book have already been taught to me in school, such as mitochondrial DNA’s origins and the structure-function relation in DNA.

Perhaps most interesting about this book is the fact that every single person on this earth is definitely related to either Helena, Jasmine, Katrine, Tara, Ursula, Velda, or Xenia. It’s odd for me to think that I may have a great, great, great, … great grandmother’s great, great, great…great grandson may be my “unrelated” neighbor. This knowledge affects all of us. It connects us all to each other, and it gives us a sense of identity in a way. This book also affects society and scientific society. It tells us that we all originated in Europe-Eurasia 150,000 years ago. The book also provides migrations of all of these people. Thus, a person in any place can understand how they are there and why.

However, the book has not gone into great detail about this information, and has focused more on the discovery of DNA and its purpose. Discovering DNA and using mitochondrial DNA is important to everyone. One example is its use in the Romanov family’s death. The last of the Russian tsar’s family was killed in their cellar and then taken to a pit on the outskirts of Ekaterinburg and buried. However, when the bones were recovered in 1991, only nine out of the eleven bodies were found. It was impossible to decipher by look to see who they were, so biologists were called to the scene to run tests. It was proven that five out of the four were related by using forensic fingerprints and nuclear DNA. However, mitochondrial DNA was used to make sure that the family was really the Romanovs. After meticulous investigation, they proved to be the Russian family. In the future, mitochondrial DNA may be used to identify relationships between people and ancient peoples, including those who go back thousands of years. Mitochondrial DNA may also help understand the history of long-lost people by comparing their mitochondrial DNA with the seven daughters of Eve.

As a conclusion, The Seven Daughters of Eve is a well-based theory concerning the origins of humans, which should be relevant to all. Having the ability to examine a tiny piece of mitochondrial DNA and then finding everything out about that individual is astonishing. If we can use this information it will advance our understanding about our individual history, and thus better our knowledge of humans as a whole.