Haplogroup H

What mutations are associated with haplogroup H? As the ancestors of haplogroup H migrated from the Middle East to India 45,000 years ago, the mutations that became associated with the haplogroup are M168, M89, and M69. M69 is also commonly known as the, “Indian marker,” but M69 can also be born in Southern Central Asia. M89 on the other hand first appeared around 45,000 years ago in northeastern Africa. “In modern day this mutation (marker) is found in more than 90 percent of all non-African men” (Wells 211-212). What characteristics separate haplogroup H from any other group? Haplogroup H is very unique and has several characteristics that make it stand out. Haplogroup H is one of the most dominant family haplogroups in all of Europe,
representing about 40% of the mtDNA gene pool in various areas of Europe. Among the mtDNA haplogroups of Europe, haplogroup H displays two unique features: an extremely wide geographic distribution and a very high frequency in most of its range. Haplogroup H is also sub-divided into several sub haplogroups all the way from H1-H15 and this confirms that the Franco-Cantabarian glacial refuge was a major source for European’s gene pool (via http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1182122/pdf/AJHGv75p910.pdf). “Geneticists believe that haplogroup H might have originated somewhere along the migration route of peoples carrying the M20 Y-chromosome marker (Wells 212). Haplogroup H plays a key role in evolution and stands out from the rest. The migration of haplogroup H over time.

Is there a counterpart to haplogroup H? Haplogroup H’s counterpart is mtDNA, and mtDNA stands for mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). This counterpart is maternal, tracked through females, and it is the female’s equivalent to the males Y-chromosome. Haplogroup H is one of the most affluent and dominant mtDNA haplogroups in all of Europe. With this mtDNA scientists are able to evaluate the forensics in formativeness of mtDNA haplogroup H sub-typing on a Eurasian scale (via http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16076538?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=5).

What was the climate like for haplogroup H when it originated? When haplogroup H originated and eventually began to migrate into India it was at the peak of the ice age.
Spencer Wells feels that, “the ice age provides a key to the mystery of European genetic patterns” (Wells 80). Although many people of haplogroup H migrated to India and Central Asia when the ice sheets, from the ice age, melted many expanded to repopulate northern Europe. The climate was said to be significantly cooler and wetter due to the ice age, unlike the tropical weather in the Mediterranean. However, as the temperature began to slowly rise 10,000 years ago the climate changed from wet to dry. Weather impacts every aspect of the world including ancient haplogroups, such as haplogroup
H.
What were the living conditions of Haplogroup H like when it originated? Living conditions were almost unbearable for haplogroup H, due to the cold weather of the ice age. Ice sheets covered the land and many members of haplogroup H didn’t survive. On the other hand, for the ones who did survive they retreated to much warmer places such as the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, and the Balkans. After losing this many numbers of people the ice sheets began to melt, and this triggered the widespread migration of haplogroup H (via http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ttg13/DNA/mtdna.html).

What kinds of things would haplogroup H have eaten or hunted when it originated? Haplogroup H people were split down the middle on the way in which they got food depending on where they lived.
The people that had retreated to Italy, the Iberian Peninsula, and the Balkans had a more varietal diet and relied on a hunter-gatherer type lifestyle. This half of the haplogroup had a diet of a lot of fish, lamb, and such easy vegetables as beans and several greens. On the other hand, stuck during the ice age the other half of haplogroup H had a very limited diet due to the ice sheets covering the tundra. Planting anything would be useless, because the ground was frozen and lifeless. If anything haplogroup H once and a while gathered any berries left behind from old plants and also killed any animal that crossed their path (via
http://www.richardaclarke.me/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4:haplogroup-h-qthe-colonistsq-&catid=39:dna&Itemid=4). Where did haplogroup H originate, and where are the descendants located today? Haplogroup H originated in the Middle East and is the most common mtDNA haplogroup in Europe. (via http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1182122/pdf/AJHGv75p910.pdf). Today haplogroup H comprises 40 to 60 percent of the gene pool of most European population. For example, in Rome and Athens haplogroup H is found in 40 percent of the entire population. In Turkey 25 percent of the population is found with haplogroup H and about 20 percent in the Caucasus Mountains. Haplogroup H also comprises around 20 percent of southwest Asian lineages, about 15 percent of people living in central Asia, and around 5 percent in northern Asia (Wells 198). The ice age not only lowered haplogroup H’s population, but it forced the people that were left to migrate all over Europe and even Asia. Ancestors of this haplogroup are still found all over Europe and Asia to this day.