Mitogroup D

From Jongbhak.com

All members of mitogroup D can trace their mitochondrial DNA to one woman who is thought to have lived about 60 thousand years ago, perhaps on the high plains of Central Asia between the Caspian Sea and Lake Baikal. This woman belonged to a group of humans that spread through Central Asia, reaching North and East Asia and ultimately the Americas. Today, members of mitogroup D are mainly found in Asia and among Native Americans.

About 18 percent of the peoples of Central Asia belong to mitogroup D and 20 percent of the peoples of East Asia.

Native Americans belonging to mitogroup D descend from a small group of Asians, who originated in northern Siberia. This group colonized the Bering Strait land bridge about 20,000 years ago during the last glacial maximum and later colonized the Americas. Mitogroup D is most common among native South American tribes, where about 20 percent of individuals belong to this mitogroup. In contrast, this mitogroup is rare in native Northern and Central American tribes (about 1 percent).

Some studies have suggested that one of the mutations that defines mitogroup D is associated with longevity. However, this has yet to be confirmed.