Mitochondria in anthropology and forensic medicine.

Tomasz Grzybowski, Urszula Rogalla

Department of Molecular and Forensic Genetics, The Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz, Poland. tgrzyb@cm.umk.pl

Advances in experimental medicine and biology 2012

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Mitochondria's role in crucial metabolic pathways is probably the first answer which comes to our minds for the question: what do these tiny organelles serve for? However, specific features of their DNA made them extremely useful also in the field of anthropology and forensics. MtDNA analyses became a milestone in the complex task of unraveling earliest human migrations. Evidence provided by these experiments left no doubts on modern humans origins pointing to Africa being our cradle. It also contributed to interpretation of putative ways of our dispersal around Asia and Americas thousands years ago. On the other hand, analysis of mtDNA is well established and valuable tool in forensic genetics. When other definitely more popular markers give no answer on identity, it is the time to employ information carried by mitochondria. This chapter summarizes not only current reports on the role of mitochondria in forensics and reconstruction of modern humans phylogeny, but also calls one's attention to a broad range of difficulties and constraints associated with mtDNA analyses.

Citation

Tomasz Grzybowski, Urszula Rogalla. Mitochondria in anthropology and forensic medicine. Advances in experimental medicine and biology. 2012;942:441-53