How is dna used to study african prehistoric human?

Question

I am doing a research paper on the subject and wanted to know the precise method or type of dna used

Answer 1

Sometime in the last year I watched an episode on the (discovery channel?) that had followed the male  "figureprinting" gene back to the early days of homosapiens......the only reason they were able to do this was because there had always been a male born to show a certain (flag), and there had been no "blending of other ethnics"..........   they were all from the same (strain) of pygmy....

is this what you are talking about?

Answer 2

Mitochondrial Eve.

Mitochondrial DNA is used.

We know about Eve because of mitochondrial organelles that are passed only from mother to offspring. Each mitochondrion contains Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). A comparison of DNA sequences from mtDNA in a population reveals a molecular phylogeny. Unlike mtDNA, which is outside the nucleus, genes containing nuclear DNA become recombined after being inherited from both parents, and therefore we can be statistically less certain about nuclear DNA origins than we can for mtDNA, which is only inherited from the mother. mtDNA also mutates at a higher rate compared to nuclear DNA, so it gives researchers a more useful, magnified view of the diversity present in a population.

Just as mitochondria are inherited matrilineally, Y-chromosomes are inherited patrilineally.Thus it is possible to apply the same principles outlined above to men. The common patrilineal ancestor of all humans alive today has been dubbed Y-chromosomal Adam. Importantly, the genetic evidence suggests that the most recent patriarch of all humanity is much more recent than the most recent matriarch, suggesting that 'Adam' and 'Eve' were not alive at the same time. While 'Eve' is believed to be alive 140,000 years ago, 'Adam' lived only 60,000 years ago.

Answer 3

It is like getting DNA from a dinosaur, to old no usable DNA