Description

Haplogroup M8 is a subclade of mtDNA haplogroup M found in East and North Asia. It includes the sub-branch C (as in the C+Z clade traditionally paired together in East Asian phylogenetics) and the subgroup Z. M8 lineages contributed to the population of Northeast Asia and Siberia. The C sub-branch within M8 (distinct from the macro-haplogroup C which also contains C_mt) diverged early and is found in populations across East Asia, while the Z sub-branch is characteristic of the Uralic-speaking peoples of Northern Eurasia.

Interesting Fact

The M8 clade contains haplogroup Z, which is notably found at elevated frequencies among the Saami of northern Scandinavia — a relic of ancient contact between Uralic-speaking peoples of Siberia and the ancestors of modern Saami during the post-glacial recolonization of northern Europe.

Distribution by Ethnicity

Ethnic distributionRegionFrequencySample
SiberiansNortheast Asia / Siberia
8%
n=500
MongoliansEast/Central Asia
5%
n=600
KoreansEast Asia
4%
n=600
Chinese (North)East Asia
3%
n=1500

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References

  1. Derenko et al. (2010) — Complete mitochondrial DNA analysis of eastern Eurasian haplogroups rarely found in populations of northern Asia and eastern Europe. PLOS ONE 5(12), e14105.