The Oldest Haplogroup

We’ve been hosting family history conversations every Saturday of Black History Month in our local libraries. In a great conversation with one of the library patrons, we chatted about DNA and Haplogroups. And how Lupita Nyong’o was tested to have the oldest Haplogroup in her DNA.

So, what is a Haplogroup? It’s basically a genetic population group that shares a common ancestor. Maternal (XX) haplogroups are determined by your mitochondrial DNA passed down from our mothers. Paternal (XY) haplogroups are determined by the Y chromosome which men inherit from their fathers.

The map below shows the migration patterns from the oldest haplogroups. L0 is the oldest from the midst of Africa. In the linked episode of Dr. Gates’ Finding Your Roots, he discusses the oldest Haplogroup that resides in Ms. Nyong’o mitochondrial DNA. Awesome to find that she has some of the oldest DNA tested.