Bruce Lowe numbers, Mitochondrial DNA and Performance
Common to all mammalian species, Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is inherited exclusively from the mother. Mutations of this mtDNA occur, often in adaptation for environmental conditions. Sets of mutations shared by a large number of individuals may have an effect on athletic performance but are commonly used to define maternally-linked populations known as clades or haplogroups, and sub-populations known as haplotypes . This has made mtDNA a very useful tool for studying the evol