Finding Your Roots

Lupita's results contained something I'd never seen before. When we examined her mitochondrial DNA, the genetic fingerprint passed down from mother to daughter across generations, we found that she carries DNA from the oldest maternal haplogroup, a very ancient branch of the mtDNA tree, just adjacent to what scientists call the mitochondrial Eve, the most recent woman from whom all living humans today descend. When mitochondrial Eve was walking around, there were no human beings alive outside of Africa. Everybody was Black in the whole world. I predate race. You predate race. Yeah. That's dope. (low-key music)