The Genghis Khan Effect
Zerjal et al. (2003) identified a Y-chromosomal lineage present in about 8% of the men in a large region of Asia (about 0.5% of the men in the world). The paper suggests that the pattern of variation within the lineage is consistent with a hypothesis that it originated in Mongolia about 1,000 years ago, and thus several generations prior to the birth of Genghi. Such a spread would be too rapid to have occurred by genetic drift, and must therefore be the result of selection. The authors propose that the lineage is carried by likely male-line descendants of Genghis Khan and his close male relatives, and that it has spread through social selection due to the power that Genghis Khan and his direct descendants held and a society which allowed one man to have many children through having multiple wives and widespread rape in conquered cities.
According to Family Tree DNA, Genghis Khan is believed to have belonged to Haplogroup C-M217.
The 25 Marker Y-DNA Profile of Genghis Khan released by Family Tree DNA is:
| Y-STR Name | 385a | 385b | 388 | 389i | 389ii | 390 | 391 | 392 | 393 | 394 | 426 | 437 | 439 | 447 | 448 | 449 | 454 | 455 | 458 | 459a | 459b | 464a | 464b | 464c | 464d |
| Haplotype | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 29 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 26 | 22 | 27 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 16 |
Read more about this topic: Descent From Genghis Khan, DNA Evidence
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