Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. hosts the television series, Finding Your Roots on PBS and his episode with Lupita Nyong’o led to a profound scientific discovery— her DNA can be directly traced back to the birth of humanity.

During her DNA screening, Gates walked Nyong’o through her lineage and how it is closely tied to Mitochondrial Eve. Lupita Nyong’o’s heritage derives from Kenya in East Africa and her roots are connected to the ‘biblical Eve’ where all of humanity’s DNA is linked to.

Science has its biases, and many have attempted to debunk the theory that humanity comes from Africa. With racist sentiments and biases influencing the way people view the evolution of all mankind, some believe that humans didn’t come from Africa, even though many scientific researches justify this query.

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The maternal lineage of Mitochondrial Eve suggests that her DNA can be tracked back 300,000 to 200,000 years.

This is the first discovery of its kind that has occurred on the popular show. The newest season of Finding Your Roots airs in January and will feature Terry Crews, Regina Hall, Leslie Odom Jr., Lena Waithe, Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Anita Hill, Lee Daniels, and more.

Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is an African American researcher and historian who studies public figure’s genealogy and ancestral roots. He reconnects Black visionaries to their lineages that may have been forgotten or lost in translation. Through digging up familiar history and key cultural moments, Gates refers to his genetic research to uncover memories and narratives that wouldn’t be otherwise discovered.

Related: The African Roots Of Kemetic Yoga And How It’s Being Adopted By The Diaspora

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