Which type of DNA is more commonly targeted in ancient DNA studies due to higher copy number and maternal inheritance?

• A. Ancient DNA
• B. Structural genes
• C. Genome
• D. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)

Answer: (D)

In ancient DNA studies, you want DNA that is both plentiful in the cells and easy to interpret over long time spans. Mitochondrial DNA fits this well because it exists in many copies per cell, so there are more molecules available to recover from degraded ancient samples. Its maternal inheritance means it’s passed down without recombination, giving a cleaner, easier-to-follow line of descent for tracing ancestry and population history. In contrast, the nuclear genome is present in far fewer copies per cell and undergoes recombination, which complicates analysis in ancient contexts. So, mitochondrial DNA is the preferred target for these reasons.