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Origins of (some) mtDNA Haplogroups
Perhaps as long as 140,000 years ago, the genus homo sapiens evolved in Mother Africa. Out of that beginning, there arose the determinate Mitochondrial Eve. Over thousands of years of life in Africa, she gave birth to 4 daughters-L0, L1, L2, and L3. L0, L1 and L2 remained in Africa-the Motherland of all Humanity, but something made some of the L3 daughters to strike look for a new home, and in the course of this migration Out of Africa roughly 80,000 years ago, they became the first humans (homo sapiens sapiens) to leave Africa. From that small group, rose all the peoples of the rest of the world. How this occurred was via spontaneous mutations or differences which arose from the L3 group of common origin and sometime not long after the L3 group left Africa, two great genetic mutations occurred which divided the daughters of L3 into two genetic groups-known as mitochondrial M and mitochondrial N.
M is only found in people from Asia, but haplogroups descended from N are found all across Eurasia, and through the Americas. Among the daughter groups that sprang from N are mitochondrial W, X (the only mitochondrial group that occurs in both Native Americans and Europeans) and mitochondrial A (which is found today in Asia and among some Native Americans). From M sprang forth great nations of people who populated the regions of Asia and whose daughters went on to populate the Americas. Mitochondrial C, D, E, Q, and Z (as well as others) are all derived from the mitochondrial M group.
From mitochondrial N sprang forth a multitude of granddaughter haplogroups, but the only two agreed upon non-African daughter and granddaughter lines that are relevant to the colonization of Europe and Western Eurasia are mitochondrial N (from the single-out of Africa L3 group) and her daughter mitochondrial R. The mtDNA N group migrated perhaps as far as the Arabian Peninsula and into southern Eurasia. By the time they arrived at the Indian Subcontinent, mtDNA R (the daughter of N) was predominant. It is mtDNA R that we are most interested in (as European descendants) for it was she who was the mother of daughters whose genetic descendants form the nucleus of our European ancestry. MtDNA R produced many sub-clades (as a result of mutations); one of great interest to people of European descent, was mtDNA U-who in turn, produced many sub-clades herself (including mitochondrial K, mitochondrial J and mitochondrial T). Some of the other "daughters" of mitochondrial U includes the mostly Asian sub-clades of B, F and P (note that mitochondrial B is also found among some populations of Native Americans). And finally, one of the largest of the sub-clades of mitochondrial U is mitochondrial H and her daughter mitochondrial V (which today, make up the bulk of Europe's maternal ancestry).
Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup T, is popularly known as "Clan Tara," was (as previously mentioned) a daughter of mitochondrial U. Mt DNA U (also known as Europa) first shows up as early as 60,ooo years ago, when her unique mutation appears in the area of the Middle East; her daughters mtDNA J and mtDNA T first appear between 45,000 to 50,000 years ago during the period of the colonization of Eurasia. Although the group was present during the early and middle-Upper Paleolithic, it was only during the time of the Neolithic that mtDNA T greatly expanded her range.
mtDNA T is very widely distributed-as far east as the Indus Valley bordering India and Pakistan and as far south as the Arabian Peninsula. mtDNA T is also found in eastern and northern Europe (it is believed that groups of mtDNA T entered Europe about 10,000 years ago where today the group has an overall frequency of about 9%). The mtDNA T Clan was originally concentrated in northwestern Italy, but is now numerous along the Mediterranean and western shores of the continent and the west of Britain and Ireland.
Roughly 20,000 years ago, the Last Glacial Maximum, or LGM occurred. This heralded the final retreat of the Ice Age glaciers-once they had melted and temperatures warmed, vast grasslands appeared in Europe (followed by areas of alpine wood which were gradually replaced by a mixture of hardwood and evergreen trees). Large land animals moved into the grasslands-followed by Paleolithic peoples. By the time of the Neolithic (15,000 to 10,000 years ago) new peoples began moving into Europe-some of them bringing domesticated sheep and goats and the advent of agriculture.
Thanks to intense analysis of mtDNA samples from all over the world, geneticists who are looking into the origins of European populations, now have a better understanding of the timelines of arrival of the various mtDNA groups into Europe, as well as the different points of departure and migration routes these various groups took. We now know, for example, that certain mtDNA gene groups arrived in Britain and Northern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula LGM Refugeum (the area of Spain and Portugal where these groups waited for the Ice to melt); these mtDNA groups include haplogroups H, V and U5b1b. We know that other mtDNA groups (such as J, T and K) came into Europe from the Near East. All of these groups expanded into Europe after the LGM (Ice Age) was over-about 10,000 years ago.
Notable People of haplogroup T
The last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, has also been shown to be of haplogroup T. This was established when genetic testing was done on his remains to authenticate his identity. As a consequence, all his matrilineal relatives have haplotype T. Assuming all relevant pedigrees are correct, this includes all female-line descendants of his female line ancestor Barbara of Celje (1390-1451), wife of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor. This includes a great number of European nobles, including the Electress Sophia of Hanover, Charles I of England, George I of Great Britain, Frederick William I of Prussia, Charles X of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange, Olav V of Norway, George I of Greece and George V of the United Kingdom.
The American outlaw Jesse James has been shown to be of the subgroup T2.
Perhaps as long as 140,000 years ago, the genus homo sapiens evolved in Mother Africa. Out of that beginning, there arose the determinate Mitochondrial Eve. Over thousands of years of life in Africa, she gave birth to 4 daughters-L0, L1, L2, and L3. L0, L1 and L2 remained in Africa-the Motherland of all Humanity, but something made some of the L3 daughters to strike look for a new home, and in the course of this migration Out of Africa roughly 80,000 years ago, they became the first humans (homo sapiens sapiens) to leave Africa. From that small group, rose all the peoples of the rest of the world. How this occurred was via spontaneous mutations or differences which arose from the L3 group of common origin and sometime not long after the L3 group left Africa, two great genetic mutations occurred which divided the daughters of L3 into two genetic groups-known as mitochondrial M and mitochondrial N.
M is only found in people from Asia, but haplogroups descended from N are found all across Eurasia, and through the Americas. Among the daughter groups that sprang from N are mitochondrial W, X (the only mitochondrial group that occurs in both Native Americans and Europeans) and mitochondrial A (which is found today in Asia and among some Native Americans). From M sprang forth great nations of people who populated the regions of Asia and whose daughters went on to populate the Americas. Mitochondrial C, D, E, Q, and Z (as well as others) are all derived from the mitochondrial M group.
From mitochondrial N sprang forth a multitude of granddaughter haplogroups, but the only two agreed upon non-African daughter and granddaughter lines that are relevant to the colonization of Europe and Western Eurasia are mitochondrial N (from the single-out of Africa L3 group) and her daughter mitochondrial R. The mtDNA N group migrated perhaps as far as the Arabian Peninsula and into southern Eurasia. By the time they arrived at the Indian Subcontinent, mtDNA R (the daughter of N) was predominant. It is mtDNA R that we are most interested in (as European descendants) for it was she who was the mother of daughters whose genetic descendants form the nucleus of our European ancestry. MtDNA R produced many sub-clades (as a result of mutations); one of great interest to people of European descent, was mtDNA U-who in turn, produced many sub-clades herself (including mitochondrial K, mitochondrial J and mitochondrial T). Some of the other "daughters" of mitochondrial U includes the mostly Asian sub-clades of B, F and P (note that mitochondrial B is also found among some populations of Native Americans). And finally, one of the largest of the sub-clades of mitochondrial U is mitochondrial H and her daughter mitochondrial V (which today, make up the bulk of Europe's maternal ancestry).
Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup T, is popularly known as "Clan Tara," was (as previously mentioned) a daughter of mitochondrial U. Mt DNA U (also known as Europa) first shows up as early as 60,ooo years ago, when her unique mutation appears in the area of the Middle East; her daughters mtDNA J and mtDNA T first appear between 45,000 to 50,000 years ago during the period of the colonization of Eurasia. Although the group was present during the early and middle-Upper Paleolithic, it was only during the time of the Neolithic that mtDNA T greatly expanded her range.
mtDNA T is very widely distributed-as far east as the Indus Valley bordering India and Pakistan and as far south as the Arabian Peninsula. mtDNA T is also found in eastern and northern Europe (it is believed that groups of mtDNA T entered Europe about 10,000 years ago where today the group has an overall frequency of about 9%). The mtDNA T Clan was originally concentrated in northwestern Italy, but is now numerous along the Mediterranean and western shores of the continent and the west of Britain and Ireland.
Roughly 20,000 years ago, the Last Glacial Maximum, or LGM occurred. This heralded the final retreat of the Ice Age glaciers-once they had melted and temperatures warmed, vast grasslands appeared in Europe (followed by areas of alpine wood which were gradually replaced by a mixture of hardwood and evergreen trees). Large land animals moved into the grasslands-followed by Paleolithic peoples. By the time of the Neolithic (15,000 to 10,000 years ago) new peoples began moving into Europe-some of them bringing domesticated sheep and goats and the advent of agriculture.
Thanks to intense analysis of mtDNA samples from all over the world, geneticists who are looking into the origins of European populations, now have a better understanding of the timelines of arrival of the various mtDNA groups into Europe, as well as the different points of departure and migration routes these various groups took. We now know, for example, that certain mtDNA gene groups arrived in Britain and Northern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula LGM Refugeum (the area of Spain and Portugal where these groups waited for the Ice to melt); these mtDNA groups include haplogroups H, V and U5b1b. We know that other mtDNA groups (such as J, T and K) came into Europe from the Near East. All of these groups expanded into Europe after the LGM (Ice Age) was over-about 10,000 years ago.
Notable People of haplogroup T
The last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, has also been shown to be of haplogroup T. This was established when genetic testing was done on his remains to authenticate his identity. As a consequence, all his matrilineal relatives have haplotype T. Assuming all relevant pedigrees are correct, this includes all female-line descendants of his female line ancestor Barbara of Celje (1390-1451), wife of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor. This includes a great number of European nobles, including the Electress Sophia of Hanover, Charles I of England, George I of Great Britain, Frederick William I of Prussia, Charles X of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange, Olav V of Norway, George I of Greece and George V of the United Kingdom.
The American outlaw Jesse James has been shown to be of the subgroup T2.