cells Review Mitochondrial DNA, a Powerful Tool to Decipher Ancient Human Civilization from Domestication to Music, and to Uncover Historical Murder Cases Maxime Merheb *, Rachel Matar, Rawad Hodeify, Shoib Sarwar Siddiqui, Cijo George Vazhappilly, John Marton, Syed Azharuddin and Hussain AL Zouabi Department of Biotechnology, American University of Ras Al Khaimah, Ras Al Khaimah 10021, UAE;
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[email protected]; Tel.: +971-527-11-33-55 Received: 27 February 2019; Accepted: 7 May 2019; Published: 9 May 2019 Abstract: Mitochondria are unique organelles carrying their own genetic material, independent from that in the nucleus. This review will discuss the nature of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and its levels in the cell, which are the key elements to consider when trying to achieve molecular identification in ancient and degraded samples. mtDNA sequence analysis has been appropriately validated and is a consistent molecular target for the examination of biological evidence encountered in forensic cases—and profiling, in certain conditions—especially for burnt bodies and degraded samples of all types. Exceptional cases and samples will be discussed in this review, such as mtDNA from leather in Beethoven’s grand piano, mtDNA in mummies, and solving famous historical criminal cases. In addition, this review will be discussing the use of ancient mtDNA to understand past human diet, to trace historical civilizations and ancient trade routes, and to uncover geographical domestication origins and lineage relationships.