Asymmetric Inheritance: mtDNA vs. The Y-Phylogeny

Author: Jeff + Claude AI

Genre: Medicine

Category: Science

Date: 11th May 2026

Description: Every human carries two remarkable genetic threads: one passed only from mother to child, the other only from father to son. This book traces the parallel stories of mitochondrial DNA and the Y chromosome, exploring their unique architectures, mutation patterns, and the molecular clocks that let researchers reconstruct deep ancestry. Through haplogroups, coalescence theory, and the challenges of selection and recombination, readers will see how these asymmetric inheritance systems illuminate human migration and evolution. A rigorous yet accessible guide to how two single-parent lineages, read together, map the journey of our species.

Summary

Ch1. Two Threads Through Time

Ch2. The Mitochondrial Genome: Architecture and Mutation

Ch3. The Y Chromosome: Structure and Survival

Ch4. Molecular Clocks and Calibration

Ch5. Haplogroups and the Map of Migration

Ch6. Coalescence: Finding the Ancestors

Ch7. Recombination, Selection, and the Limits of Lineage

Ch8. Convergence: What Two Lineages Reveal Together