Description

DE is the ancestor of haplogroups D and E. Haplogroup D is found mainly in East Asia (Japan, Tibet) and the Andaman Islands, while haplogroup E is the predominant Y-DNA lineage in Africa. The DE ancestor may have lived in Africa or may represent an early out-of-Africa movement that partially returned. DE and its descendants represent some of the deepest human patrilineal lineages outside haplogroup A.

Interesting Fact

Haplogroup D is found at high frequencies in Japan (35–40%) and among Tibetans (~50%), while its sibling branch E dominates sub-Saharan Africa. This dramatic geographic separation from a single ancestor reflects ancient migration patterns during the Upper Paleolithic.

Distribution by Ethnicity

Ethnic distribution Region Frequency Sample
Yoruba West Africa
80%
n=500
Somalis East Africa
77%
n=200
Ethiopians East Africa
65%
n=400
Tibetans East Asia
50%
n=300
Japanese East Asia
38%
n=1000

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References

  1. Hammer et al. (2009) — Out of Africa and back again: nested cladistic analysis of human Y chromosome variation. Molecular Biology and Evolution 15(4), 427–441.