Altaic populations share maternal lineages with northern East Asians

Altaic-speaking populations across Eurasia possess a diverse maternal genetic heritage linked to ancient northern East Asian lineages.

Researchers analyzed a comparative dataset of 58,257 modern and 7,425 ancient individuals to map mitochondrial DNA variation. This genetic data helps trace maternal ancestry because mitochondrial DNA is passed from mothers to children without recombining. The findings show that maternal haplogroups among these groups align with ancient DNA from archaeological sites.

These sites represent various historical lifestyles, including farming, pastoralism, and hunter-gathering across Siberia and western Eurasia. Different groups show distinct patterns: Manchu and Mongolian populations have a stronger maternal affinity with northern East Asians. In contrast, Kazakh populations carry a higher proportion of lineages from western and northern Eurasia. The research also identified some north-south differentiation within Manchu populations depending on how they are grouped geographically.

By expanding the available mitochondrial DNA resources for these underrepresented groups, the study provides a clearer picture of how maternal lineages moved and shifted across the continent over time.