Study of mitochondrial DNA ties ancient remains to living descendants

Members of the Metlakatla community are collaborating with scientists in ongoing genetic studies of Native peoples in British Columbia. (Those pictured asked that their names be withheld. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Researchers report that they have found a direct genetic link between the remains of Native Americans who lived thousands of years ago and their living descendants. The team used mitochondrial DNA, which children inherit only from their mothers, to track three maternal lineages from ancient times to the present. The findings are reported in the journal PLOS ONE. The researchers compared the complete mitochondrial genomes of four ancient and three living individuals from the north coast of British Columbia, Canada.