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	Assuming that all of an individual's ancestors are otherwise unrelated to each other, that individual has 2<sup>''n''</sup> ancestors in the ''n''th generation before her/him and a total of 2<sup>''g''+1</sup> − 2 ancestors in the ''g'' generations before him/her. In practice, however, it is clear that most ancestors of humans (and any other species) are multiply related (see ]). Consider ''n'' = 40: the human species is more than 40 generations old, yet the number 2<sup>40</sup>, approximately 10<sup>12</sup> or one trillion, dwarfs the ].		Assuming that all of an individual's ancestors are otherwise unrelated to each other, that individual has 2<sup>''n''</sup> ancestors in the ''n''th generation before her/him and a total of 2<sup>''g''+1</sup> − 2 ancestors in the ''g'' generations before him/her. In practice, however, it is clear that most ancestors of humans (and any other species) are multiply related (see ]). Consider ''n'' = 40: the human species is more than 40 generations old, yet the number 2<sup>40</sup>, approximately 10<sup>12</sup> or one trillion, dwarfs the ].

	Some cultures confer reverence to ancestors, both living and dead; in contrast, some more youth-oriented cultural contexts display less veneration of elders. In other cultural contexts, some people seek ]{{Explain\|reason=\|date=November 2020}} from their deceased ancestors; this practice is sometimes known as '']'' or, more accurately, '']''.<ref>{{Cite journal \|last=Hu \|first=Anning \|date=2016 \|title=Ancestor Worship in Contemporary China: An Empirical Investigation \|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/43709965 \|journal=China Review}}</ref>		Some cultures confer reverence to ancestors, both living and dead; in contrast, some more youth-oriented cultural contexts display less veneration of elders. In other cultural contexts, some people seek ]{{Explain\|reason=\|date=November 2020}} from their deceased ancestors; this practice is sometimes known as '']'' or, more accurately, '']''.<ref>{{Cite journal \|last=Hu \|first=Anning \|date=2016 \|title=Ancestor Worship in Contemporary China: An Empirical Investigation \|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/43709965 \|journal=China Review}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal \|last=Clark \|first=Kelly James \|date=2005-12-01 \|title=The gods of Abraham, Isaiah, and Confucius \|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf02857007 \|journal=Dao \|volume=5 \|issue=1 \|pages=109–136 \|doi=10.1007/bf02857007 \|issn=1540-3009}}</ref>

	==See also==		==See also==

Revision as of 01:48, 27 June 2022

Person from whom another person is descended For other uses, see Ancestor (disambiguation).

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An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). Ancestor is "any person from whom one is descended. In law, the person from whom an estate has been inherited."

Two individuals have a genetic relationship if one is the ancestor of the other or if they share a common ancestor. In evolutionary theory, species which share an evolutionary ancestor are said to be of common descent. However, this concept of ancestry does not apply to some bacteria and other organisms capable of horizontal gene transfer. Some research suggests that the average person has twice as many female ancestors as male ancestors. This might have been due to the past prevalence of polygynous relations and female hypergamy.

Assuming that all of an individual's ancestors are otherwise unrelated to each other, that individual has 2 ancestors in the nth generation before her/him and a total of 2 − 2 ancestors in the g generations before him/her. In practice, however, it is clear that most ancestors of humans (and any other species) are multiply related (see pedigree collapse). Consider n = 40: the human species is more than 40 generations old, yet the number 2, approximately 10 or one trillion, dwarfs the number of humans who have ever lived.

Some cultures confer reverence to ancestors, both living and dead; in contrast, some more youth-oriented cultural contexts display less veneration of elders. In other cultural contexts, some people seek providence from their deceased ancestors; this practice is sometimes known as ancestor worship or, more accurately, ancestor veneration.