Knowing the haplogroup you belong to is very interesting from a historical and anthropological point of view. But what is a haplogroup?
Generation after generation there are changes in the DNA sequence that are kept in the population’s genetic material over the years. These changes are called haplogroups. These variations arise as a result of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the DNA, known as SNPs.
Therefore, studying the SNPs present in the different populations allows us to know the migratory movements of our primitive ancestors until we find the ancestors that originated the modern human population, known as mitochondrial Eve and chromosomal Adam.
Two great lineages
Based on these ancestors, two major lineages are established:
- Maternal lineage: ascending line that would converge in a single African woman (mitochondrial Eve) who would correspond to be the most recent common female ancestor who possessed the mitochondria from which these organelles present in the current human population are descended. It should be noted that mitochondria are inherited directly through the maternal lineage, since they are present in the ovum, and are transmitted to both sons and daughters.
- Paternal lineage: ascending line until reaching the African man (chromosomal Adam) who would represent the most recent common male ancestor who had in his DNA the Y chromosome from which all males of the current human population descend. It should be noted that the Y chromosome is only inherited from the father, since he is the only parent with this chromosome, so it will only be transmitted from father to son.
The path your genetic information has taken
Within each type of lineage, there are several groups and subgroups as the population has branched out. This has made it possible to understand the expansion of human beings and their migratory waves around the planet Earth.
Thanks to haplogroup studies, a very complex genealogical tree can be generated: from the result of the type of haplogroup you belong to, you can go back to mitochondrial Eve or chromosomal Adam and know which lineage and which countries your lineage has followed.
Do I have the same ancestor as a famous person?
As mentioned above, these genetic markers allow you to reconstruct the history of lineages (paternal or maternal), to discover the path followed by your ancestors as well as curious information such as whether you share this genetic information with current celebrities and even historical figures such as Einstein or Napoleon Bonaparte.
Currently, genetics has advanced enough to reliably determine your paternal lineage and determine your maternal lineage, and predict the historical journey of your ancestors based on haplogroups.
I am curious to discover my maternal and/or paternal lineage, what do I have to do?
The tellmeGen ancestry DNA test allows, with a simple saliva sample, to know to which type of haplogroup you belong, and thus to establish your biogeographical historical ancestry.
