A Predominantly Neolithic Origin for European Paternal Lineages

2010/01/19 by Patricia Balaresque, Georgina R. Bowden, Susan M. Adams +13 · 15 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Arts and Humanities · #Forensic and Genetic Research #Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies #Race, Genetics, and Society #Haplogroup #Lineage (genetic) #Biology #Evolutionary biology #Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup #Mitochondrial DNA #Upper Paleolithic #Ancient DNA #Haplotype #Genetics #Geography #Demography #Archaeology #Population #Genotype #Gene

paper · pdf · doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000285

openalex publication_date 2010/01/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

The relative contributions to modern European populations of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers from the Near East have been intensely debated. Haplogroup R1b1b2 (R-M269) is the commonest European Y-chromosomal lineage, increasing in frequency from east to west, and carried by 110 million European men. Previous studies suggested a Paleolithic origin, but here we show that the geographical distribution of its microsatellite diversity is best explained by spread from a single source in the Near East via Anatolia during the Neolithic. Taken with evidence on the origins of other haplogroups, this indicates that most European Y chromosomes originate in the Neolithic expansion. This reinterpretation makes Europe a prime example of how technological and cultural change is linked with the expansion of a Y-chromosomal lineage, and the contrast of this pattern with that shown by maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA suggests a unique role for males in the transition.

Citations

• Correlation between Genetic and Geographic Structure in Europe
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• Two Sources of the Russian Patrilineal Heritage in Their Eurasian Context
• Dual origins of the Japanese: common ground for hunter-gatherer and farmer Y chromosomes
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• Tracing European Founder Lineages in the Near Eastern mtDNA Pool
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• Genes mirror geography within Europe
• Origin, Diffusion, and Differentiation of Y-Chromosome Haplogroups E and J: Inferences on the Neolithization of Europe and Later Migratory Events in the Mediterranean Area
• The Peopling of Modern Bosnia‐Herzegovina: Y‐chromosome Haplogroups in the Three Main Ethnic Groups
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• The Molecular Dissection of mtDNA Haplogroup H Confirms That the Franco-Cantabrian Glacial Refuge Was a Major Source for the European Gene Pool

Cited by

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• Y-Chromosome Variation in Altaian Kazakhs Reveals a Common Paternal Gene Pool for Kazakhs and the Influence of Mongolian Expansions
• Mitogenomes from Two Uncommon Haplogroups Mark Late Glacial/Postglacial Expansions from the Near East and Neolithic Dispersals within Europe
• Paternal Genetic History of the Basque Population of Spain
• Regional Differences in the Accumulation of SNPs on the Male-Specific Portion of the Human Y Chromosome Replicate Autosomal Patterns: Implications for Genetic Dating
• Revealing the Genetic Impact of the Ottoman Occupation on Ethnic Groups of East-Central Europe and on the Roma Population of the Area
• A Comparative Analysis of Chinese Historical Sources and y-dna Studies with Regard to the Early and Medieval Turkic Peoples
• Ancient X chromosomes reveal contrasting sex bias in Neolithic and Bronze Age Eurasian migrations
• The peopling of Europe and the cautionary tale of Y chromosome lineage R-M269
• Ancient DNA from European Early Neolithic Farmers Reveals Their Near Eastern Affinities
• A Comparison of Y-Chromosome Variation in Sardinia and Anatolia Is More Consistent with Cultural Rather than Demic Diffusion of Agriculture
• Evaluating the Farming/Language Dispersal Hypothesis with genetic variation exhibited by populations in the Southwest and Mesoamerica
• Neolithic Europe [wikipedia]