Description
Mitochondrial haplogroup R (distinct from Y-DNA R) is a major branch of N that gave rise to the most common European maternal lineages. Its descendants include H and V (via HV), J and T (via JT), and U (which includes K). Collectively, R's descendants account for the majority of European, Near Eastern, and many Central and South Asian maternal lineages.
Interesting Fact
The descendant branches of R (particularly H, U, J, and T) together account for roughly 80–90% of all European maternal DNA — making the R ancestor one of the most matrilineally influential humans in Eurasian prehistory.
Distribution by Ethnicity
| Ethnic distribution | Region | Frequency | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europeans (average) | Europe | n=5000 | |
| Near Easterners (average) | Middle East | n=2000 |
Tags
References
- Torroni et al. (2006) — Harvesting the fruit of the human mtDNA tree. Trends in Genetics 22(6), 339–345.