| Haplogroup R1a | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Possible time of origin | 22,000[1] to 25,000[2] years ago |
| Possible place of origin | Eurasia |
| Ancestor | Haplogroup R1 |
| Descendants | R-M459, R-YP4141 |
| Defining mutations |
|
| Highest frequencies | See List of R1a frequency by population |
Haplogroup R1a, or haplogroup R-M420, is a human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup which is distributed in a large region in Eurasia, extending from Scandinavia and Central Europe to Central Asia, southern Siberia and South Asia.[3][2]
While one genetic study indicates that R1a originated 25,000[2] years ago, its subclade M417 (R1a1a1) diversified c. 5,800 years ago.[4] The place of origin of the subclade plays a role in the debate about the origins of Proto-Indo-Europeans.
The SNP mutation R-M420 was discovered after R-M17 (R1a1a), which resulted in a reorganization of the lineage in particular establishing a new paragroup (designated R-M420*) for the relatively rare lineages which are not in the R-SRY10831.2 (R1a1) branch leading to R-M17.
- ^ Sharma et al. 2009.
- ^ a b c Underhill et al. 2014.
- ^ Underhill et al. 2009.
- ^ Underhill et al. 2014, p. 130.