Selection on COX2?
Even though the control region is so helpful for analysis of recent humans, and easy identification of Neandertals, it’s only a small fragment of the complete mtDNA. The mitochondrial genome is inherited as a single unit, so different mutations on a single mtDNA are co-inherited with each other. That means that the diversity of the noncoding control region is shaped by both genetic drift (due to demography) and selection. The selection includes purifying selection on coding sites across the entire mtDNA genome, and the possibility of positive selection on one or more ancient mutations. I believe that positive selection on mtDNA in ancient humans has a lot of indirect support (and I wrote as much here). To give a brief list: • Mitochondrial haplotypes in living humans correlate with functional variation in disease, longevity, and performance — all areas that have undergone recent biological shifts in humans. • Some mtDNA haplotypes in humans appear to have been under recent positive se
