Is 1 in 200 people really descended from Genghis Khan? » TwistedSifter

I know some people are more of a, um, driving force than others, but to have literally produced a large portion of humanity?

That claim always seemed a bit exaggerated to me – but was Genghis Khan really that… productive?

Genghis Khan was born near Lake Baikal, into a small nomadic tribe. No one could have imagined then that one day he would unite Mongolia and rule one of the greatest empires ever.

Another thing no one would have guessed is that he actually would be most famous for the number of children he fathered.

The fact goes back to a historic genetic study from 2003.

Researchers collected DNA from 16 Asian populations and found that 1 in 12 men shared an unusual Y chromosome that likely came from Genghis Khan.

They deduced this by relying on clues from science and history, and were certain that a general population explosion could not be the answer.

“If this spread were the result of a general population expansion, we would expect to find multiple lineages with the same characteristics of high frequency and presence in multiple populations, but that is not the case.”

They also ruled out the possibility that this Y chromosome line would emerge by chance.

If it wasn’t coincidence and population expansion, they thought it was Khan’s fault, not just his many wives and descendants.

“The small number of genes on the Y chromosome and their specialized functions offer few opportunities for selection, making it necessary to look for alternative explanations.”

So biology, yes, but also the fact that Khan’s army tended to completely wipe out the people they conquered, leaving a smaller gene pool to begin with, explains co-author and geneticist Spencer Wells.

“This is a clear demonstration that culture plays a very large role in patterns of genetic variation and diversity in human populations. It is the first documented case where human culture has caused a single genetic lineage to increase so dramatically in just a few hundred years.”

Khan’s family line ruled large territories in Asia for hundreds and hundreds of years, leading to 8% of men in the region sharing a single male ancestor.

That amounts to 1 in 200 worldwide.

The scientists used logic, statistics and common sense to deduce that the common ancestor was almost certainly Genghis Khan.

Khan had seven wives and as many as 500 concubines during his lifetime. We can assume that he fathered at least 507 children, and probably many more – if the numbers are correct.

Unfortunately, we know very little about that, and even if he did, only his sons fathered by his first wife (he had four) would be considered legitimate.

Mongolian historian David Morgan thinks the higher figures are entirely plausible; Genghis’ eldest son alone is said to have forty sons.

Researchers have found another Y-chromosome lineage from East Asia that occurs in 1 in 30 sampled men. It started about 500 years ago, the authors say.

“We reasoned that the events leading to the spread of this lineage could have been captured in both the historical and genetic record. The Qing dynasty was founded by Nurhaci (1559–1626) and was dominated by the Qing imperial nobility, a hereditary class composed of male descendants of Nurhaci’s paternal grandfather, Giocangga (d. 1582), with more than 80,000 official members. of the dynasty.”

There are many reasons why Giocangga’s genetic lineage was favored over others.

“The nobility was very privileged; For example, a ninth-rank noble received 11 kilograms of silver and 22,000 liters of rice annually and maintained many concubines. Thus, a social mechanism was established that would have led to the increase of the specific Y lineage of Giocangga and Nurhaci and to its spread among a limited number of populations. We suggest that this line was the Manchu line.”

In 2006, researchers discovered another widespread Y-chromosome lineage stretching from the Middle East to the west coast of Ireland.

One in five men share this genetic signature, and some want to attribute the material to Niall Noígíallach (or Niall of the Nine Hostages).

This (possibly mythical) fifth-century king probably started the Uí Néill dynasty of Ireland.

However, since we have no proof that it exists, most scientists are not yet willing to give it credit for the Y chromosome.

That said, not one of these prolific patriarchs can shine a light on Genghis Khan’s legacy – at least we’re pretty sure.

The only way to verify this is to have DNA from the man himself, but unfortunately we don’t have that.

However, evolutionary geneticists like Chris Tyler-Smith have not given up hope that this will one day be the case.

“Looking for these connections is fascinating. When we did that, we used some pretty indirect reasoning, and you could try doing that with any of these lines. What I really hope is that at some point someone will find the grave and remains of Genghis Khan.”

What an exciting day that would be, for all his millions of descendants.

If it’s out there somewhere, just remember that one day we’ll find it.

If you found that interesting, you might like to read a story that shows that the most expensive precious metal on earth is not gold or platinum, but costs more than $10,000 per ounce!