Description
Haplogroup O2 is by far the most common Y-DNA haplogroup in East Asia, dominant among Han Chinese (~55%), Koreans (~55%), Japanese (~38%), and Vietnamese (~55%). Its expansion is closely tied to the spread of rice agriculture from the Yangtze River valley beginning approximately 7,000 years ago — one of the most dramatic examples of demic diffusion in human prehistory. O2 effectively defines the paternal genetic landscape of East Asia: carrying Sinitic, Japonic, and Korean cultural and linguistic traditions across the continent. Ancient DNA from Neolithic Chinese sites confirms O2's deep roots in East Asia predating the Bronze Age.
Interesting Fact
The geographic distribution of O2 matches the historical spread of rice cultivation from the Yangtze delta so precisely that population geneticists often use it as a genetic proxy for the demic expansion of early East Asian farmers — the men who carried rice agriculture also carried their Y chromosomes into Korea, Japan, and mainland Southeast Asia.
Distribution by Ethnicity
| Ethnic distribution | Region | Frequency | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Han Chinese | East Asia | n=2000 | |
| Koreans | East Asia | n=600 | |
| Vietnamese | Southeast Asia | n=500 | |
| Manchu | East Asia | n=150 | |
| Japanese | East Asia | n=1000 | |
| Tibetans | Central Asia / East Asia | n=300 |
Tags
References
- Shi et al. (2005) — Y-chromosome evidence of earliest modern human settlement in East Asia and multiple origins of Tibetan and Japanese populations. BMC Biology 3, 5.
- Zhong et al. (2011) — Extended Y chromosome investigation suggests postglacial migrations of modern humans into East Asia via the northern route. Molecular Biology and Evolution 28(1), 717–727.
- Hammer et al. (2006) — Population structure of Y chromosome SNP haplogroups in the United States and forensic implications for constructing Y chromosome STR databases. Forensic Science International 164(1), 45–55.