Mitochondrial Steve: paternal inheritance of mitochondria in humans

Mitochondrial DNA is the primary tool in the investigation of recent evolutionary history, particularly for uncovering human origins and expansion. Maternal inheritance of mitochondria enables models of population history to be much simpler that those needed for the analysis of nuclear DNA. The recent report of a man with his father's mitochondria suggests a rethink of mitochondrial evolutionary dynamics in humans might be necessary.