There’s a lot of circumstantial evident that mtDNA haplogroup U5 was brought to Europe by the first anatomically modern populations. Though this haplogroup is extant around frequencies of ~10% in modern European populations, with the highest proportions in northern Fenno-Scandinavia and the east Baltic region, extractions of DNA from hunter-gatherer remains in northern Europe yield very high proportions of this lineage. This is not totally surprising, in the early aughts Bryan Sykes wrote a book, The Seven Daughters of Eve, and correctly pointed out that the coalescence for the U5 lineages is very deep in Europe, suggesting that it has had a lot of time to diversify. Sykes’ main thesis though was that most of the genetic heritage of Europe predates the expansion of Neolithic farmers within the last 10,000 years. The rough implication was that ~80% of the ancestry of modern Europeans could be derived from people who were resident within the modern boundaries of the continent of Europe during the last Ice Age.
But Ancient DNA extractions and more thorough analyses of modern population variation are muddling the picture somewhat. Some of the lineages which were presumed to be Paleolithic, such as R1b, may not be so. But the fact remains that we do know that modern humans began to settle Europe within the last 40,000 years, and extirpated the Neandertals within 10,000 years of their initial arrival. Unless those initial populations were totally replaced, there has be a very ancient lineage which dates to the Paleolithic, and in particular the Ice Age. U5 is the mtDNA lineage which is the best candidate, and its frequencies within modern European populations may be a clue to who the real “aboriginals” are. For example, the Sami have very high frequencies of U5, which may be ironic in light of theses that the Finnic populations of the Baltic are hybrids between populations from eastern Eurasia and native Scandinavian groups (the other group which high frequencies of U5 are Basques).
In any case, that is why U5 is of some interest, though the “golden age” of mtDNA & Y studies is probably in the past. A new paper in PLoS one surveys central and eastern European groups, , The Peopling of Europe from the Mitochondrial Haplogroup U5 Perspective:
It is generally accepted that the most ancient European mitochondrial haplogroup, U5, has evolved essentially in Europe. To resolve the phylogeny of this haplogroup, we completely sequenced 113 mitochondrial genomes (79 U5a and 34 U5b) of central and eastern Europeans (Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Russians and Belorussians), and reconstructed a detailed phylogenetic tree, that incorporates previously published data. Molecular dating suggests that the coalescence time estimate for the U5 is ~25–30 thousand years (ky), and ~16–20 and ~20–24 ky for its subhaplogroups U5a and U5b, respectively. Phylogeographic analysis reveals that expansions of U5 subclusters started earlier in central and southern Europe, than in eastern Europe. In addition, during the Last Glacial Maximum central Europe (probably, the Carpathian Basin) apparently represented the area of intermingling between human flows from refugial zones in the Balkans, the Mediterranean coastline and the Pyrenees. Age estimations amounting for many U5 subclusters in eastern Europeans to ~15 ky ago and less are consistent with the view that during the Ice Age eastern Europe was an inhospitable place for modern humans.
The simple reality is that much of northern Europe was not habitable during the Last Glacial Maximum, so naturally hunter-gatherers would rapidly expand to settle the new territory as it became accessible. This may be why the Basques have a more diverse array of U5 lineages than the Sami, northern populations are sampled from the diversity of the southern. But after the expansion it may be that the original genetic substrate of Paleolithic Europe was heavily overlain by agriculturalists, and it is only in the far north and east than the Paleolithic populations persisted because of ecological parameters. This is why I suspect that a deeper analysis of northeast European genetics will give us some clues as to the demographic process of the shift from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to agriculture.
- I Spy With My Little Eye… - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- A Crack Opens in the Ethiopian Landscape, Preparing the Way for a New Sea | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Politics of Addiction | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Finally! An iPhone App That Lets You Track Your Bathroom Habits | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Don’t Pack Your Bags Yet—New Planet-Finder Hobbled by Electronic Glitch | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- In Controversial Scent Lineups, a Dog’s Nose Picks Out the Perp | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Are You a Cognitive Miser? | Cosmic Variance - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Secret Lives and Loves of Great White Sharks | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Britain’s New Protected Minority: Tree-Huggers | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Inspired by Maple Seeds, a Robotic Whirligig Takes To The Skies | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- New Statesman on Accommodationism | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Laser-Powered Robot Climbs to Victory in the Space-Elevator Contest | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Checking Back In With SEAPLEX | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Podcast: An Embarrassment of Genomes | The Loom - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A Baby Neutron Star, Swaddled in a Carbon Atmosphere | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Butterfliiiies… iiinnnn… SPPPAAAAACCCCEEEEE! | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- My Slate Dialogue with Michael Specter Begins | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Musical, Fahrvergnügen-Inspired Staircase Makes Commuters Less Lazy | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Laser-Etched Fruit Is an Answer in Search of a Problem | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Ares and the carnivals | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Toddler Gets a Telescoping, Prosthetic Arm Bone That Grows With Him | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Neutered HIV Virus Delivers Treatment to Fatally Ill Boys | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Specter’s First Reply: Denialism Kills People | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- LRO sees a Moonslide | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Al Gore’s New Book: A Focus on Solutions | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Universe Has Us in Its Crosshairs | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Makers of Universes | Cosmic Variance - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Can Your Pet Catch & Spread Swine Flu? Yes, If Your Pet’s a Ferret | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Droid 2.0 Vs iPhone | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Tangled Bank News: An Excerpt and More | The Loom - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- LHC Shut Down By Wayward Baguette, Dropped by Bird Saboteur | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Careidolia | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Slate Reply to Specter Up–We Need a National Dialogue on Synthetic Biology | The Intersection - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Pray this doesn’t get passed | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- You Can’t Make This Stuff Up | Cosmic Variance - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Mother Tongue, Indeed: Newborn’s Cries Mimic Mama’s Accent | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Ripped From the Journals: The Biggest Discoveries of the Week | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Alternative Landscapes | The Loom - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Can an iPhone App Decipher Your Baby’s Cries? | Discoblog - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Reminder: Carl Sagan Day | Bad Astronomy - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Are There Pesticides in Your Soup? Dunk a Pollution Dipstick to Find Out. | 80beats - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Log in and Join the Conference - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Conference Ends - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Conference Archive Opens - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Galaxy Zoo - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- .Astronomy 2009 Dates - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- .Astronomy 2009: Programme and venue details - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- .Astronomy Gets Some IYA Love - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 2009 Posters and Imagery - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 2009 Sponsors - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- When in Holland… - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The WHAT Cloud? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Jewel Box - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Happy Halloween! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Ares 1-X Launch - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Confessions of an Alien Hunter - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- LRO Spies Apollo 17 Site - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Mercury in Color - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Hubble and M83 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Cassini Flyby of Enceladus - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Preserving A Moth [Science Tattoo] | The Loom - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Another Russian rocket spiral lights up the sky | Bad Astronomy - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- A (Very Gentle) Riddle to Complete Your Saturday - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Darwin Gets Swine Flu: The YouTube Edition | The Loom - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Happy Slothy Holidays | The Loom - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Jetting to Copenhagen | The Intersection - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Michael Gerson Attempts Thoughtfulness on “ClimateGate,” Then Gives it Up | The Intersection - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Incredible VISTA of the cosmos | Bad Astronomy - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Bundle up Sunday Night to Watch the Geminid Meteor Shower | 80beats - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- “ClimateGate” a PR Disaster That Will Be “Taught in University Communications Courses” | The Intersection - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Is Google the Guardian Angel of Rainforests? | 80beats - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- La ciencia es importante. Una vez mas. | Bad Astronomy - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Sensenbrenner Pulls an Inhofe, Asserts Global Warming is an “International Conspiracy” | The Intersection - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Let Kids Eat Dirt: Over-Cleanliness Linked to Heart Disease | 80beats - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- What Are The Best Science Papers Of The Past Decade? | The Intersection - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Finally! Math Shows How to Cut Evenly Sized Pizza Slices | Discoblog - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Half-baked math | Bad Astronomy - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Can “Biological Passports” Save Sports From Doping? | 80beats - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Aiiiieeee! Slow down! | Bad Astronomy - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Weekly News Roundup: Bad Headlines, Martian moons, and Rotating Houses | Discoblog - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]