The Real Eve

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.
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 J ourney 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 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.
Television documentary
The documentary, also known as Where We Came From in the United Kingdom, 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.



The Real Eve

Who is the Real Eve? (a woman from whom all modern humans may be descended)
Where and when did she live? (Africa about 150,000 years ago)
What is the scientific basis that a Real Eve existed? (genetic tracking through mitochondrial DNA; new
knowledge of climate and geographical changes)
What is mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)? (the unique DNA found in the mitochondria of living cells)
How is mitochondrial DNA passed through generations? (Humans inherit it from their mothers.)
How many years ago did the first hominids appear? (3.5 million)
When did this group of hominids migrate out of Africa? ( 80,000 years ago) What was their migration
route? (across the Red Sea into what is now Yemen)
What were the primary causes of the migration of hominid groups? (climate and geography, such as polar
caps, deserts, and volcanic eruptions)
When did modern-day humans first migrate into what is now Europe? (50,000 years ago)
What hominids had been living in this region for hundreds of thousands of years?(Neanderthals)
What caused humans to evolve into different races with unique characteristics?(adaptations to different
climates)

Vocabulary

DNA
Definition: The molecule that carries genetic information in all living things; the chemical basis of heredity
Context: DNA is located in the nucleus of living cells.
hominid
Definition: The family of erect bipedal primate mammals that includes modern humans (the species Homo sapiens) and
Neanderthals and other related extinct species
Context: Homo sapiens is the only surviving hominid species.
migrate
Definition: To move from one region or climate to another
Context: Many scientists believe that our human ancestors migrated from Africa across the Red Sea.
mitochondria
Definition: Tiny structures in all human cells that have their own DNA called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
Context: By studying mitochondria and mtDNA, some scientists believe that all humans may be descended from a single
woman who lived in East Africa about 150,000 years ago.