Y-Chromosome Links

The Y chromosome is passed mostly unchanged from father to son, along with occassional identifying mutations, allowing a detailed comparison of patrilineal relationships descent within and between families and population groups, just as mitochondrial DNA has permitted comparisons of matrilineal relationships and descent. These comparisons have shed light on the origins of modern humans, our relationships with other primates, how populations spread across the globe and mixed with each other, and how individuals are related to each other. Below are links to news reports and scientific articles relating to the Y chromosome in the study of human populations and lineages. For more infomation about Human evolution, see the Talk.Origins web site and newsgroup. Please send additions, corrections and broken link reports to John Hynes.
New! (2006-03-17)

The Genetic Legacy of the Mongols (American Journal of Human Genetics)

New! (2006-03-09)

Ysearch - the number one Y-DNA public database
The Genographic Project - Human Migration, Population Genetics, Maps, DNA (National Geographic)
International Society of Genetic Genealogy

Niall

Oxford Ancestors now offers a High Kings of Ireland test, which purports to show descent from Niall of the Nine Hostages, legendary progenitor of the Uí Néill clan and the High Kings of Ireland. One of the surnames listed is my own, Hynes. (According to legend, the first Hynes, or O'Heyne, was actually descended not from Niall, but from his brother, Fiachra; however, if true, the Y chromosomes should be the same or very similar. The O'Heynes were chiefs of the Uí Fiachrach Aidhne.) The source is given as the American Journal of Human Genetics, February 2006, "A Y-Chromosome Signature of Hegemony in Gaelic Ireland" (abstract). (full text PDF) See also these online articles:

High King Niall: the most fertile man in Ireland (Times Online)
Scientists discover most fertile Irish male (The Boston Globe/Reuters)
Medieval Irish warlord boasts three million descendants (New Scientist)
Matching Niall Nóigiallach - Niall of the Nine Hostages (Family Tree DNA)
Irish Research into yDNA at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland (Ireland Heritage DNA Project)
If Irish Claim Nobility, Science May Approve (New York Times)


Images

Phylogeny Tree (Underhill, Peter A., et. al. "Y chromosome sequence variation and the history of human populations.)
Distance Tree (ibid)
Haplotype Tree (Underhill, Peter A., et. al. "Detection of Numerous Y Chromosome Biallelic Polymorphisms by Denaturing High-Performance Liquid Chromatography.")
Population Tree (The Central Siberian Origin for Native American Y Chromosomes, AJHG)
Y Chromosome Consortium NRY Tree 2002

Articles

Collections of scientific arcticles

Human Population Genetics Laboratory - Publications (Stanford University)
The American Journal of Human Genetics Electronic Edition (The American Society of Human Genetics)
The American Society of Human Genetics (Abstracts)
University of Leicester Dept. of Genetics (Dr Mark A. Jobling)
PubMed (National Center for Biotechnology Information)
Why Y? The Y Chromosome in the Study of Human Evolution, Migration and Prehistory (Neil Bradman and Mark Thomas)

Genealogy

Y-chromosomes used to trace family trees and study surnames

Y-Clan™ Services (Oxford Ancestors)
The Y Chromosome and Personal Genetic Archaeology (Kuro5hin)
GENETICS AND GENEALOGY: Y Polymorphism and mtDNA Analyses (Kevin F. Duerinck, Esq.)
Duerinck Surname DNA Project with links to many similar projects
Family Tree DNA - we do genetic tests for your genealogy questions!
History since the last Ice Age: National and International DNA Projects (Rootsweb)
Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (Formerly at Brigham Young University)

Y-chromosome Adam

Comparisons between men around the world give a family tree for mankind suggesting that the most recent common male ancestor lived about 59,000 years ago in Africa, some 84,000 years after "Mitochondrial Eve".

Adam and Eve probably never met (Nature Genetics)
Genetic 'Adam never met Eve' (BBC News)
Boost for 'Out of Africa' theory (BBC News)

Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson's relationship to slave descendents

Y Chromosome DNA Data on Jefferson and Hemmings (Robert J. Huskey)
Did Thomas Jefferson Father Slave Children? (Nova on PBS)
Mapping Jefferson's Y Chromosome (Frontline on PBS)
Jefferson's DNA and Sally Hemings (Eyler Robert Coates, Sr.)
Thomas Jefferson - Sally Hemings DNA Study (family historian)
Jefferson-Hemings DNA Testing: An On-Line Resource (Monticello)
Jefferson's secret life (US News)
A Jefferson descendant emerges in Issaquah (Seattle Times)

Jews

Jewish relationship to Arabs, a common ancestor for Cohen priests, relationship to African tribe, etc.

Russian Jewish Genetics - A collection of abstracts and reviews of books, articles, and genetic studies (Khazaria.com)
Jewish Population Genetics (NY Times)
Jews and Arabs are 'genetic brothers' (BBC News)
Origins and diversity of Jewish Y-chromosome haplotypes (ASHG)
Tracing the Cohanim (Nova on PBS)
The Lemba, The Black Jews of Southern Africa (Nova on PBS)
The Genetics of Jewish Populations (Ethan T. Vishniac)

Americans

Native American relationships to each other and to Central Siberians

The Central Siberian Origin for Native American Y Chromosomes (American Journal of Human Genetics)
Male Sex Chromosome May Reveal Migration (Science Magazine)
Y Chromosome Haplotypes Reveal Distinct Migration Patterns in Siberia and the Americas (ASHG*)
A Native American "Adam" (Dorothy C. Wertz, PhD)

Asians

DNA & the Peopling of Siberia (Smithsonian)
Y Chromosome Study Suggests Asians, Too, Came from Africa (Scientific American)
Study Supports Out-of-Africa Origin for East Asians (PennState)
History of Ancient Indian Conquest Told in Modern Genes, Experts Say (Newsday)
Indian Caste Groups Have Differing Genetic Relationships to Europeans and Asians (University of Utah)

Europeans

95% of Europeans are descended from just 10 stone-age men

DNA study traces ancient ancestry of Europeans (AP/SF Chronicle)
Europe's 10 founding 'fathers' (BBC News)
Europe's seven female founders (BBC News)
A synopsis of the entire European Y-chromosome biallelic haplotype spectrum (ASHG*)

Irish

Scientists use Irish genes to uncover Europe's past (AP/SF Chronicle)
Y-chromosome variation and Irish origins (Nature Magazine, 3/23/00)
Geneticists Show That Irish Are A Race Apart (Reuters)
Science shows Y the Irish are from Spain (New York Times)
More About Genes - The Irish Really are a race apart (Dr. Emmeline Hill)
Why people in Iceland look just like us (Irish Times)
DNA Study of Irish Clans (Jim Maguire)
One More Difference Among Us (Science News)

Vikings

Scientists Use Genetics to Trace Viking Heritage (ABC News)

Creationists

Typical distortions by a "scientific creationist"

Y-chromosome Reveals The Genesis Flood Account. (Hugh Ross, Ph.D.)
Y-Chromosome Adam? (Answers in Genesis)

© Copyright 2000-2006 by John D. Hynes