They are the most recent common ancestors of all living humans through the maternal and paternal lineages, respectively.
- Mitochondrial Eve is the woman from whom the mitochondrial DNA of all living people descends through the maternal line. She is estimated to have lived in Africa between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago. She was not the only woman alive at the time, but she is the only one whose maternal lineage has continued uninterrupted to the present day.
- Y-chromosomal Adam is the man from whom the Y chromosome of all living men descends through the paternal line. He also lived in Africa. More recent estimates place him around 200,000–300,000 years ago, although estimates vary depending on the method used.
They were not a couple and did not necessarily live at the same time.