Haplogroup K or K-M9 is a genetic lineage within
human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup
In human genetics, a human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup is a haplogroup defined by specific mutations in the non-Genetic recombination, recombining portions of DNA on the male-specific Y chromosome (Y-DNA). Individuals within a haplogroup share ...
. A sublineage of
haplogroup IJK
Haplogroup IJK is a human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup. IJK is a primary branch of the macrohaplogroup HIJK. Its direct descendants are haplogroup IJ and haplogroup K.
Distribution and structure
IJK has not been reported in modern populations or ...
, K-M9, and its descendant clades represent a geographically widespread and diverse haplogroup. The lineages have long been found among males on every continent except
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
.
The direct descendants of
Haplogroup K1 (L298 = P326, also known as LT) and K-M9 are
Haplogroup K2 (formerly KxLT; K-M526).
Origins and distribution
Y-DNA haplogroup K-M9 is an old lineage that arose approximately 47,000-50,000 years ago.
Geneticist
Spencer Wells
Rush Spencer Wells (born April 6, 1969) is an American geneticist, anthropologist, author and entrepreneur. He co-hosts The Insight podcast with Razib Khan. Wells led The Genographic Project from 2005 to 2015, as an Explorer-in-Residence at ...
had argued that because haplogroup K has a geographically wide distribution, the lineage probably originated near the central part of this range in the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
or
Central Asia
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
, possibly in Iran or Pakistan.
K* is exceptionally rare and under-researched; while it has been reported at very low frequencies on many continents it is not always clear if the examples concerned have been screened for subclades.
Confirmed examples of K-M9* now appear to be most common amongst some populations in
Island South East Asia and
Melanesia
Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea.
The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...
.
Primary descendants of haplogroup LT are
L (M20), also known as K1a, and
T (M184), also known as K1b.
The descendants of haplogroup K2 include:
*
K2a (detected in
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...
specimens Oase1 and Ust'-Ishim),
the subclades of which include the major haplogroups
N and
O,
and;
*
K2b – the ancestor of haplogroups
M,
P,
Q,
R,
S.
Structure
;Haplogroup K-M9 tree
References
External links
Spread of Haplogroup K from ''
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
''
{{Y-DNA
K-M9