Final answer:
African mitochondrial Eve is significant because she is the most recent common matrilineal ancestor of all living humans, not because she was the first human female. She lived approximately 200,000 years ago in Africa, and all current human mitochondrial DNA can be traced back to her.
Step-by-step explanation:
The significance of African mitochondrial Eve lies in the fact that she represents the most recent common ancestor of all living humans, through the matrilineal line. Although often referred to as "Eve," it is important to clarify that she was not the first human female. Instead, she is the one from whom all current human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can be traced back to. She is estimated to have lived in Africa around 200,000 years ago. Mitochondrial DNA is unique because it is passed down unchanged from a mother to her children, providing a molecular record of human maternal lineage. When male children are born, they do not pass on their mother's mtDNA, thus any lineage without female descendants eventually has its mtDNA lineage end. Consequently, despite many other females living during the time of the mitochondrial Eve, their mtDNA lines did not survive to the present day.