Answer:
to identify the father of the individual
Step-by-step explanation:
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the circular DNA molecule found in mitochondria, which is an organelle responsible for cell respiration by converting chemical energy from foods to ATP by the process of cellular respiration. In humans, mtDNA consists of about 16,500 base pairs (bp) and encodes for 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs and 13 proteins. In most of the species, including humans, mtDNA is inherited from the mother (i.e., it is maternally inherited), and therefore mtDNA cannot be used to trace the patrilineal ancestry of a given person or population.