Haplogroup Q, Marker M242
M168
The very widely dispersed M168 marker can be traced to a single individual, Eurasian Adam. This African man, who lived some 31,000 to 79,000 years ago, is the common ancestor of every non-African person living today. His descendants migrated out of Africa and became the only lineage to survive away from humanity’s home continent.
Population growth during the Upper Paleolithic era may have spurred the M168 lineage to seek new hunting grounds for the plains animals crucial to their survival. A period of moist and favorable climate had expanded the ranges of such animals at this time, so these nomadic peoples may have simply followed their food source.
Improved tools and rudimentary art appeared during this same epoch, suggesting significant mental and behavioral changes. These shifts may have been spurred by a genetic mutation that gave Eurasian Adam’s descendants a cognitive advantage over other contemporary, but now extinct, human lineages.
M89
Some 90 to 95 percent of all non-Africans are descendants of the second great human migration out of Africa, which is defined by the marker M89.
M89 first appeared 45,000 years ago in Northern Africa or the Middle East. It arose on the original lineage (M168) of Eurasian Adam, and defines a large inland migration of hunters who followed expanding grasslands and plentiful game to the Middle East.
Many people of this lineage remained in the Middle East, but others continued their movement and followed the grasslands through Iran to the vast steppes of Central Asia. Herds of buffalo, antelope, woolly mammoths, and other game probably enticed them to explore new grasslands.
With much of Earth’s water frozen in massive ice sheets, the era’s vast steppes stretched from eastern France to Korea. The grassland hunters of the M89 lineage traveled both east and west along this steppe superhighway and eventually peopled much of the continent.
A group of M89 descendants moved north from the Middle East to Anatolia and the Balkans, trading familiar grasslands for forests and high country. Though their numbers were likely small, genetic traces of their journey are still found today.
M9
Some 40,000 years ago a man in Iran or southern Central Asia was born with a unique genetic marker known as M9, which marked a new lineage diverging from the M89 group. His descendants spent the next 30,000 years populating much of the planet.
Most residents of the Northern Hemisphere trace their roots to this unique individual, and carry his defining marker. Nearly all North Americans and East Asians have the M9 marker, as do most Europeans and many Indians. The haplogroup defined by M9, K, is known as the Eurasian Clan.
This large lineage dispersed gradually. Seasoned hunters followed the herds ever eastward, along a vast belt of Eurasian steppe, until the massive mountain ranges of south central Asia blocked their path.
The Hindu Kush, Tian Shan, and Himalaya, even more formidable during the era’s ice age, divided eastward migrations. These migrations through the Pamir Knot region would subsequently become defined by additional genetic markers.
M45
The marker M45 first appeared about 35,000 to 40,000 years ago in a man who became the common ancestor of most Europeans and nearly all Native Americans. This unique individual was part of the M9 lineage, which was moving to the north of the mountainous Hindu Kush and onto the game-rich steppes of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and southern Siberia.
The M45 lineage survived on these northern steppes even in the frigid Ice Age climate. While big game was plentiful, these resourceful hunters had to adapt their behavior to an increasingly hostile environment. They erected animal skin shelters and sewed weathertight clothing. They also refined the flint heads on their weapons to compensate for the scarcity of obsidian and other materials.
The intelligence that allowed this lineage to adapt and thrive in harsh conditions was critical to human survival in a region where no other hominids are known to have survived.
M242 – Haplogroup Q
Haplogroup Q, defined by marker M242, appeared on the M45 lineage and includes most Native Americans. Its origin lies in Siberia some 15,000 to 20,000 years ago—during the savagely cold climate of that period.
The adaptable descendants of M242 survived by hunting large mammals and inventing cold-weather living techniques still employed by their modern Arctic descendents. They developed new shelters, new types of clothing, and new tools for an increasingly challenging environment.
In the ice-free regions of Siberia these people sat poised to enter a new world. About 15,000 years ago they did just that. With much of Earth’s water locked up in ice sheets, period sea levels were some 350 feet (100 meters) lower than at present. Consequently a land mass called Beringia connected present-day Siberia and Alaska and provided a crossing for the peopling of the Americas.
The genetic data coincide with archaeological evidence for a Beringia crossing that enabled North American settlement only after about 15,000 years ago.
Somehow the progeny of M242 migrated further south through the Americas. Just how they gained passage through the era’s prevalent ice cover is unknown. Some speculate that an ice-free Rocky Mountain corridor allowed safe travel, while others favor a hypothesis of coastal migration.
Whatever their route out of modern Alaska, the descendents of M242 were the first explorers of the New World.
The Entire Migration – not quite
And that’s the whole journey…or what’s known so far.
I wonder, what point in time does my direct line turn back and return to India?
You can explore more off this at the official site.
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August 11th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
I am haplogroup Q too (M242) just like yours. Perhaps we could swap sequences? I am Indian too and a pretty surprise it was for me that I am Q.
November 28th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
I am not suprised at all. I am part Native American and mostly white, and I’m R1b1c9. Although, Q seems to be Native American this is not true… Only Q-M3 is native american and you are Q-M242 which is found all over Central Asia and Siberia, and some in Northern Europe (but not so much).
Congrats!
Dan!
November 15th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Good day;
I was looking at your unbroken genetic migration map on the Internet with interest as it related to my haplogroup R migration map. My markers sequence is R1b1 M168> M89> *M9> M45> M207> M173> M343>.
From M168 to M45 our clan’s migration route was identical. We would have been related 35,000 years ago in Central Asia. While your Q clan migrated east at M45 my R clan migrated west at M45.
The contrast and relationship is an interesting extension of our clan’s history migration map.
Regards,
Al Barrs
albarrs@wfeca.net
Greenwood, Florida USA
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November 15th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Reading responses on your Website I see that your say that your are actually R1b1c9. My projection by FTDNA is R1b1b2g1. How does Haplogroup Q fit with R1b1b2g1???
Al Barrs
Greenwood, Florida
USA
November 16th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Alfonso, That’s actually Dan, the commentor’s, as he say’s above: “I am part Native American and mostly white, and I’m R1b1c9″. Not mine.
That’s interesting that your clan moved west as mine went east, it’s a fascinating study, makes one wonder doesn’t it, thanks for commenting.
December 10th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
My father’s family emigrated from India to the Caribbean in the 1800′s. I have been trying to trace his lineage through dna testing without much success. He has also been classified Haplogroup Q, Marker M242. Would it be possible to swap sequences?
December 12th, 2008 at 5:39 am
Yes that’s fine RB, why don’t you send me his and I’ll send mine in a reply to that email.
July 19th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Just got the results for my paternal line. Hap group Q, M242. Now, I live in the US, and the curious thing is that I have a male based family genealogy which authoritatively traces back to the 1400s in England. How does that square with that grouping?
I’m an utter novice, but I think I see that there’s some M242 getting into Scandinavia, and thence, via the Vikings/Norman invasion, into England. Is there any merit to that supposition?
I do have an Indian woman marrying into my paternal line early on, as a second wife. I need to doublecheck, but I’m pretty certain that I’m descended from the firstborn male of that second wife. She was a Christianized Indian. It makes me wonder if she was pregnant at the marriage – I need to see if I can nail down some dates! Could be that the father was an Indian lad.
July 19th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
If you have any information for me, please email me at harmon, with the @ portion of the message being at mac.com.
August 5th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
This is strange. I am Armenian, and as all Armenians who fled Turkey during the genocide, my paternal grandfather ended up in Ethiopia, where both my father and I were born, and my results came out as Haplogroup Q (M242).
August 18th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
My father and I are both Q M242. Our family has been in America since 1740.
We traced our family line to the Isle Of Skye in Scotland (Viking / Celtic) prior to coming to the US. Everyone in our family is fair skinned with predominantly blue eyes. We were amazed and fascinated that we originated in Siberia. We were wondering if part of Q 242 turned back west (perhaps hunting big game along the edge of the ice shelves of the time) like a branch of Q M45 did, and migrated to northern / western europe. Are there other people out there with a similar story?
August 20th, 2009 at 5:08 am
@Harmon, hmm that is curious, but as William mentions to, perhaps a lot of m242 did eventually reach England as well…Seems they reach the Med too via Turkey per Harry above…
@William, there’s definitely a lot who move back west from Siberia. My assumption is that we (indian m242′s) come from the group that moves west in a southerly direction into what is now Uzbekistan, maybe during the mongol migrations/invasion westward. Then Babur who is direct descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan moves into North India and establishs the 700 yr Mughal Empire, and perhaps that’s how M242 is introduced into India. Take that for whatever it’s worth, I’m no great scholar of this, just find it completely fascinating.
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:02 am
I’m also Q, and I’m 100 % Norwegian.
October 5th, 2009 at 5:55 am
hi,
I’m looking out for families that fall into the Q1a3(M346+) group.
November 26th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Yes , Haplgroups of a person may be difeent from the general population around him- This correlates with the established fact that In-Situ Cultural differentiation happened much later than genetic differenciation. So while somebodys HAplogroup may be Q or R1b, That Individual Can be anywhere in the world – the last 2000 years have seen a lot of cultural changes and a partial homogenizing effect,genetic isolation by bottleneck and founder efects have been undone by our constant need to migrate in search of better opportunities, and our need to mate with exotic women
wars , conquest and attrition
December 10th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
To Dan’s comment
The Q-M242 is an Asian marker with some traces fround in Europe but it is exclusivly found in native americans in both South and North America (found 100% in tribes south of Panama). If there are traces found in Europe it only means some simply went west. But this does not make the Viking or European just because they are found there. They are still of Asian origin that happen to mixed in with Eurpeans.
Similar to Africa “E” Hap found all over the world. Regardless of where it’s found it’s an African marker…. suggesting africans simply migrated everywhere. The southern coast of England has a high distribution of E but this does not make them English just because they are traced there. They still have an african origin.
However i think any Qm242 (from which the Qm3 dirives from) which is found almost exclusivly in indians, appearing in European is a false premise. There’s really no proof. Sounds like bad genealogy rather then DNA.
March 11th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
we are tracing my fathers DNA. We are ( we think) Dutch/French/ British Isle and were surprised to be Haplogroup Q. We are doing futher study to find out if we are Jewish? does anyone else have this possobilty?
March 12th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Yes there are recorded connections with the Ashkenazi Jews and HaplogroupQ: try this link, lots of articles on it: http://www.google.com/search?q=haplogroup+q+and+ashkenazi+jews
April 9th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
DK – if you are still around – the genealogy I’m relying on is pretty solid, mainly because my father’s family arrived from England in 1637 and stayed in the same place until he became the first to leave, in 1941 as a result of WWII. In fact, the whole town was founded by 3 English families who never left once they got there. So even taking into account some interfamily hanky panky now & then, the odds are still overwhelming that the English connection is right, even if the nominal paternal line is not.
I’ve pretty much ruled out the pre-marriage pregnancy possibility I mentioned above, by checking on the relevant birth & marriage dates.
One possibility is that M242 wound up in Europe via the Mongol invasion. Another is that it moved along the northern reaches of Europe into England via various invasions.
April 13th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
I did mention earlier that I’m looking out for families that fall into the Q1a3(M346+) group. let me give the reason.
My brother’s result is Q1a3(m346+). Our family belongs to one of those families in Kerala, India that were baptized by St. Thomas. The Surname is Elanjykal or also spelt Elengical, Elenjikkal and other variants but if written in malayalam is all the same. Our tradition says we came to kerala from elsewhere but the location is not clear. some say from madurai and some say from north india. Our family’s patron saint is St.George. I was hoping to find other families in other parts of the country that may throw some light on our ancestory.
May 16th, 2010 at 12:21 am
Menon, is your’s Q4 or 5 ?