Y-DNA

This paper updates the chapter on the Lichtenstein Cave in “Upstream and downstream Cheddar Man and Haplogroup I2a-L38” (De Beule, 2021):
https://www.academia.edu/57883960/Upstream_and_Downstream_Cheddar_Man_and_Haplogroup_I2_L38_The_Diaspora_of_the_Y_Chromosomal_Mutation_S2555?sm=b

The article looks at the North-East European cultural borderlands in the 9th–11th centuries from the point of view of kinship studies. The author proposes a new etymology of the ethnonym Rus’ which he derives from the Old Russian kinship term *rodičь (“kinsman, relative”). Originally the ethnonym Rus’ was a calque of the self-name of the Swedes, reshaped under the influence of Finno-Ugric languages. The transformation of a kinship term into an ethnonym took place during the evolution of
the East Slavic social organization towards new ethnic-state formations associated with the ascension to power of new clans and the development of a linear system of inheritance of princely power. Modern and paleogenomic Y-DNA data from Swedes, Slavs, Balts and Rurikids are used to reconstruct the specifics of interaction between clan structures, molecular lineages and anthroponyms in the context of the North-East European cultural borderlands. The article demonstrates ways of integrating the best elements of Normanist and anti-Normanist thinking in Russian and foreign historiography into a single paradigm for solving the “Varangian problem”.

A thirty-seven marker short tandem repeat (STR) genetic analysis of Y-chromosomes reveals an unnoted modal haplotype showing a significant association with surnames claimed to have descended from the Norman dynasties and allied with William, Duke of Normandy, during his conquest of England.  This suggests that such phylogenetic prevalence is a biological record, supports the reliability of early genealogies and illustrates the link between power and polygyny in European society.

Updated abstract; in this document i analysed Y-DNA from yfull and ftdna from the Maghreb. I concluded that the present descendants of E-M81 most likely originate from Phoenicia. The majority of males in the Maghreb has a Y-DNA that descends from a male line ancestor that lived in Carthage about 500 BCE. This founding father effect is extremely strong and a similar founding mother effect is absent. About 20% has a Y-DNA that originates in Hejaz (Arabia) and arrived at the Muslim Conquest of the Maghreb. The Berber population has a lower Y-DNA percentage from Hejaz. A timescale correction of yfull +10% is more likely than a timescale of yfull without correction or a timescale correction of yfull +20%.

In a second document (not yet stored), I conclude that it is more likely that the E-M81 male ancestor line has his origin near Carthage than originate in Phoenicia.

This is an update of a paper originally published in October 2020. Y DNA Haplogroup S595 descends from the semi legendary Niall of the Nine Hostages. Much speculation has been made of the purported time period he lived and the veracity of portions of the Annals, which reference him. Further, as discussed later, the number of generations and the time span listed suggest one or the other contains missing or inaccurate data. However, with the advent of Y DNA testing (Larkin 2014), the basic lineages obtained from the Annals or listed in Furbishe’s “The Great Book of Irish Genealogies” have increasingly been shown to be accurate. This document is specifically directed at tracing the lineages and matching the names and DNA to the O’Cathain’s of Ulster and in particular to Haplogroup S595. Where possible it begins to fill in historical gaps in lineages. This document discusses the historical lineage of the O’Cahain’s. It identifies the historical figures who preceded the founding of the line and the time frame that haplogroup S595 likely first appears. Surnames that have been historically tied to the O’Cathain’s and surnames that have been identified as linked by DNA are also discussed. The document concludes with a comparison of DNA age analysis for branches and subbranches with the names and dates available for the O’Cathain Clan of Ulster available in the Annals and other historical records. The combination of S595 surnames associated with the O'Cathains of Ulster, the concentration of some of these surnames in Co. Derry (specifically Dungiven), and an age analysis match to historical records clearly demonstrate that the S595 Haplogroup kits are descendants of the O'Cathains of Ulster.

In 1990, three family researchers had the fortune of discovering each other nearly simultaneously and began sharing information that became the basis of this study. While nearly all discovered Owstons and Oustons could be traced to one of three families having their origins in the original East Riding of Yorkshire, there was no evidence proving that familial connections existed among the three groups. These families originated in Ganton, Sherburn, and Thornholme in the parish of Burton Agnes.

By utilizing Y-DNA testing at 43 markers, this study sought to discover if the three families could be linked genealogically, although traditional records signifying such did not exist. If connected, it would likely to have been prior to the adoption of English parish registers in 1538.

Results link members of all three families to a common ancestor in the past. While two of the Thornholme subjects did not match anyone else, it has been determined that non-paternal events occurred in these two lines; however, genealogical data has confirmed a paper trail existed to the earliest known ancestor of this family.

Additional results are forthcoming and may assist in determining an Owston ancestral haplotype. At the present, this legacy DNA appears to exist in the form of identical markers found in a member in each of the three families.

The Jewish diaspora is present in oral tradition [1]. The large population sizes of Jewish people in Eastern Europe has raised questions whether most of them are descendants of people that became Jewish in the Middle East (following the oral tradition) before the diaspora or became Jewish after the diaspora [2]. Recently a Y-DNA Jewish Ashkenazi branch (Levites, haplogroup R1a) was shown to follow the oral tradition [3]. In this document I will show that this is also the case for the J1-Z644, where the migration route passed Spain. The migration path followed the history from Semitic people in the Middle East to Iberia to Ashkenazi Jews. In these migration steps part of the people stayed in the originating area, and part of the people started a live in a new part of the world. In this document it is shown that haplogroup J1-Z640 originated most-likely in the Middle East. A group of the male descendants people went to Spain. Near the year 900-1100 CE one of these men had three male descendants, which resulted in three branches. The descendant of one of these three went to eastern Europe, which resulted in a large group of Ashkenazi Jewish. The data follow the Jewish migration out of the Middle East, a stay in Spain [1], and a migration to Eastern Europe. It does not follow the theory that most of the descendants of the Ashkenazi Jews became Jewish in the kingdom of the Khazars [2].

The article was written in feb. 2014, but never published (lack of priority).

The article was originally named "J1-Z644: Y-DNA in a successive migration from Semitic to Sephardi to Ashkenazi". It was later realized that the term Sephardi is better replaced by Iberia.

The use of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) and Genetic Distance (GD) have been used to help clarify and define genetic relationships associated with the male Y chromosome with various degrees of success. This paper explores the value of each as it applies to the O'Cathain haplogroup S595. Specifically it demonstrates that GD is a poor indicator of predicted relationships even among historically related haplogroups. It also demonstrates that signature STRs exist that when ordered and/or combined with SNPs show nonrandom relationships. Compiled relationships of SNPs and signature STRs can be used to uncover previously unknown relationships, help clarify historical timelines and predict likely new SNPs.

Autosomal DNA tests have been applied to the field of genetic genealogy only recently. They are currently the only types of test that can identify shared DNA among descendants of common ancestors regardless of whether the DNA was inherited from the paternal or maternal sides of the family. As such, these tests are useful for identifying descendants of a common ancestor, regardless of whether they descend through the paternal lineage, the maternal lineage, or through a combination of both male and female ancestors.

Two important advances: 1) the accumulation of BigY and FGC test data, and 2) the publication of Y-chromosome sequences for three ancient samples (Anzick-1, Ust-Ishim, and K14), have made it possible to estimate the average rate of base-substitutions (SNPs). The authors of this study have developed a new method of selecting true mutations in modern and ancient samples, and have defined with high accuracy the rate constant of SNP mutations: 0.82 • 10 per year per bp (95% CI: (0.70 − 0.94) • 10).

Like many people these days, I decided to trace my ancestral genetic legacy through a DNA test. The results were quite revelatory, revealing an entirely different genetic background than I had always supposed. This article analyzes how this new genetic background may have developed over the last 1000 years.

This short draft paper was never published. It was written in 2013, distributed in social media and honours the work of Marko Heinila.

For a long time human Y-DNA has been analysed to determine the historic timescales of human phylogenetic trees. Two methods have been used intensively: STR and SNP mutation rates. The characteristics of both are very different. The normalization of each of the two methods has their own challenges. Although the systematic effects of both methods are completely different, the determined differences are limited. I conclude that both methods are useful to determine the historic timescales. The timescales that were determined by Marko Heinila should be corrected in the case of large timescales. Given the good fit of the two methods, it is likely that the systematic errors (that are not discussed in this paper) of both methods are less than 10%.

IAJGS Conference, Cleveland, 2019

When men of Ashkenazi descent from Eastern Europe tested their Y-chromosome DNA and were identified as belonging to haplogroup I2a, a predominantly Slavic haplogroup, the prevailing theory was that their lineage was the result of a Jewish woman being raped by a Cossack. Recent results from Next Generation Sequencing have shown this theory to be extremely unlikely, because the Ashkenazi men share a paternal ancestor 2,000 years ago with a group of non-Jewish men of unexpected ethnicity. This talk will demonstrate methods for tracing Jewish migration across the ancient world and tying DNA to Jewish history.

Males have greater cardiometabolic risk than females, though the reasons for this are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the association between common Y chromosomal haplogroups and cardiometabolic risk during early life. In a British birth cohort, we examined the association of Y chromosomal haplogroups with trajectories of cardiometabolic risk factors from birth to 18 years and with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, carotid intima media thickness and left ventricular mass index at age 18. Haplogroups were grouped according to their phylogenetic relatedness into categories of R, I, E, J, G and all other haplogroups combined (T, Q, H, L, C, N and O). Risk factors included BMI, fat and lean mass, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), non-HDL-c and c-reactive protein. Analyses were performed using multilevel models and linear regression, as appropriate. Y chromosomal hap...

Background and aims
Males have greater cardiometabolic risk than females, though the reasons for this are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the association between common Y chromosomal haplogroups and cardiometabolic risk during early life.

Methods
In a British birth cohort, we examined the association of Y chromosomal haplogroups with trajectories of cardiometabolic risk factors from birth to 18 years and with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, carotid intima media thickness and left ventricular mass index at age 18. Haplogroups were grouped according to their phylogenetic relatedness into categories of R, I, E, J, G and all other haplogroups combined (T, Q, H, L, C, N and O). Risk factors included BMI, fat and lean mass, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), non-HDL-c and c-reactive protein. Analyses were performed using multilevel models and linear regression, as appropriate.

Results
Y chromosomal haplogroups were not associated with any cardiometabolic risk factors from birth to 18 years. For example, at age 18, the difference in SBP comparing each haplogroup with haplogroup R was −0.39 mmHg (95% Confidence Interval (CI): −0.75, 1.54) for haplogroup I, 2.56 mmHg (95% CI: −0.76, 5.89) for haplogroup E, −0.02 mmHg (95% CI: −2.87, 2.83) for haplogroup J, 1.28 mmHg (95% CI: −4.70, 2.13) for haplogroup G and −2.75 mmHg (95% CI: −6.38, 0.88) for all other haplogroups combined.

Conclusions
Common Y chromosomal haplogroups are not associated with cardiometabolic risk factors during childhood and adolescence or with subclinical cardiovascular measures at age 18.

Seattle IAJGS 2016 Presentation: "Tip of the Iceberg: What Y-DNA Lineages Can Tell Us About Jewish History and Migration”
Presented at the annual conference of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies on August 11, 2016 in Seattle, Washington.

Since 2013, the field of genealogical genetic testing has advanced from being able to sample the Y-chromosome in a few dozen locations to several million, thanks to “Next Generation Sequencing” (NGS) products like FTDNA’s Big Y and others. Networks of “citizen scientists” have begun mapping out genetic trees that are far more accurate than were ever before possible. This more extensive and accurate data is particularly useful for Jewish genealogists seeking to link groups of men to their common male ancestor farther back in time than the typical 8-10 generations covered by surnames. Because these new tests are costly and not easy to interpret, many genetic genealogists are not making full use of them. Using several ongoing Jewish lineage projects as examples (including one cluster of Ashkenazi men who might actually turn out to be from Portugal), we’ll discuss testing strategies and survey available data interpretation tools.