National Geographic Genographic Project

Reveals Further Information on the Deep
Ancestry of Friedrich Carl Christlieb

In 2006, Stephen Crislip, Charleston, West Virginia, had the unique opportunity to dine with Robert Ballard, the National Geographic explorer, who discovered the Titanic, the Bismarck, and other famous wrecks. During the dinner Ballard convinced Stephen to take part in the National Geographic Genographic Study, an undertaking that was rather new at the time. Stephen participated in the project and relayed the findings on, so they could be shared by the entire family.

In the years following 2006, more and more people have chosen to participate in the Genographic Project. In so doing, the information gleaned from the additional samples of DNA has led to a broader understanding of everyone’s deep ancestry.

A few months ago, Ned Crislip participated in the National Geographic Genographic Project. The kit that was ordered included swabs for taking samples from inside the cheeks of Ned's mouth. After several weeks, Ned received the results, which agreed 100% with those that Stephen Crislip received seven years prior; namely, that Friedrich Carl Christlieb’s ancestors dwelled in the Middle East some 10,000 years ago. This information would have been hard to believe, had we not already become aware of Friedrich Carl’s Jewish heritage.

THE Y-CHROMOSOME

GENETIC MARKERS – Each of us carries DNA that is a combination of genes passed from both our mother and father, giving us traits that range from eye color and height to athleticism and disease susceptibility. As part of this process, the Y-chromosome is passed directly from father to son, unchanged, from generation to generation down a pure male line. (Mitochondrial DNA, on the other hand, is passed from mothers to their children, but only their daughters pass it on to the next generation. It traces a purely maternal line.)

It was via the Y-chromosome that the ancestry of Friedrich Carl Christlieb, and his male descendants, was able to be traced, and it was though the Y-chromosome that the knowledge was passed down in one unbroken chain from father to son for countless generations.

NATURALLY OCCURRING MARKERS

DNA is passed on unchanged, unless a mutation—a random, naturally occurring, usually harmless change—occurs. The mutation, known as a marker, acts as a beacon; it can be mapped through generations because it will be passed down for thousands of years.

When geneticists identify such a marker, they try to figure out when it first occurred, and in which geographic regions of the world. Each marker is essentially the beginning of a new lineage on the family tree of the human race. Tracking the lineages provides a picture of how small tribes of modern humans in Africa, tens of thousands of years ago, diversified and spread to populate the world.

By looking at the markers one carries, a person’s lineage can be traced, ancestor by ancestor, to reveal the path they traveled as they moved out of Africa. Friedrich Carl Christlieb’s story begins with his earliest ancestors. Who were they, where did they live, what is their story?

Our species, Homo sapiens, is an African one: Africa is where we first evolved, and where we have spent the majority of our time on Earth.

The common direct paternal ancestor of all men alive today was born in Africa around 140,000 years ago. Dubbed “Y-chromosome Adam” by the popular press, he was neither the first human male nor the only man alive in his time. He was, however, the only male whose Y-chromosome lineage is still around today.

BRANCH: M42

Around 75,000 years ago, the BT branch of the Y-chromosome tree was born, defined by many genetic markers, including M42. The common ancestor of most men living today, some of this man’s descendants, would begin the journey out of Africa to India and the Middle East. Small groups would eventually reach the Americas. Others would settle in Europe, and some from this line remained near their ancestral homeland in Africa. As M42-bearing populations migrated around the globe, they picked up additional markers on their Y-chromosomes.

BRANCH: M168

As humans left Africa, about 70,000 years ago, they migrated across the globe in a web of paths that spread out like the branches of a tree, each limb of migration identifiable by a marker in our DNA. For male lineages, the M168 branch was one of the first to leave the African homeland.

Moving outward from Africa and along the coastline, members of this lineage were some of the earliest settlers in Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Some from this line would even travel over the land bridge to reach the Americas.

The man who gave rise to the first genetic marker in Friedrich Carl Christlieb’s lineage probably lived in northeast Africa in the region of the Rift Valley, perhaps in present-day Ethiopia, Kenya, or Tanzania. Scientists put the most likely date for when he lived at around 70,000 years ago. His descendants became the only lineage to survive outside of Africa, making him the common ancestor of every non-African man living today.

But why would man have first ventured out of the familiar African hunting grounds and into unexplored lands? The first migrants likely ventured across the Bab-al Mandeb strait, a narrow body of water at the southern end of the Red Sea, crossing into the Arabian Peninsula soon after M168 originated—perhaps 65,000 years ago. These beachcombers would make their way rapidly to India and Southeast Asia, following the coastline in a gradual march eastward. By 50,000 years ago, they had reached Australia. These were the ancestors of today’s Australian Aborigines.

It is also likely that a fluctuation in climate may have contributed to our ancestors’ exodus out of Africa. The African ice age was characterized by drought rather than by cold.

Around 50,000 years ago, though, the ice sheets of the northern hemisphere began to melt, introducing a short period of warmer temperatures and moister climate in Africa and the Middle East. Parts of the inhospitable Sahara briefly became habitable. As the drought-ridden desert changed to a savanna, the animals hunted by our ancestors expanded their range and began moving through the newly emerging green corridor of grasslands.

Friedrich Carl’s nomadic ancestors followed the good weather and the animals they hunted, although the exact route they followed remains to be determined. In addition to a favorable change in climate, around this same time there was a great leap forward in modern humans’ intellectual capacity. Many scientists believe that the emergence of language gave us a huge advantage over other early human species. Improved tools and weapons, the ability to plan ahead and cooperate with one another, and an increased capacity to exploit resources in ways we hadn’t been able to earlier, all allowed modern humans to rapidly migrate to new territories, exploit new resources, and replace other hominids such as the Neanderthals.

BRANCH: M304

Originating in South or West Asia, between 20,000 and 30,000 years ago, geneticists have found this branch and its descendant lineages in North Africa, where it is 69 percent of male lineages in Tunisia, about 30 percent of male lineages in Egypt, and about 27 percent of male lineages in Sudan. In South Asia, it is 29 percent of male lineages in Pakistan, around 14 percent of male lineages in India, and about 19 percent of male lineages in Sri Lanka. In Europe, this lineage is most common in Italy (30 percent), Spain (20 percent), and Portugal (18 percent).

Today, descendants of this line appear in the highest frequencies in the Middle East, North Africa, and Ethiopia, and at a much lower frequency in Europe, where it is observed exclusively in the Mediterranean area.

Back to Top

COMPARING FRIEDRICH CARL’S HAPLOGROUP WITH OTHERS

The mutations, which sequenced out of M168 – M201, M52, M170, and M304 – gave rise to Haplogroups G, H, I, and J, respectively, around 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. Today, descendants from Haplogroup G are concentrated near the Caucasus Mountains. Those from Haplogroup H are largely confined to the Indian subcontinent. Descendants of Haplogroup I spread up through central Europe and into Scandinavia, where it is common today. Haplogroup J, along with its subdivisions, is very common in the Middle East, where many Jews, Arabs, and others belong to it. These four haplogroups probably arose between 20 and 30 thousand years ago.

FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING HAPLOGROUP J

Haplogroup J is defined by two mutational events, either M304 or 12ƒ2.1. What this means is that either of these markers can be used to determine Friedrich Carl Christlieb’s deep ancestry, since for every individual that has one of these markers, that person also has the other. Either marker can be used as a genetic signpost.

BRANCH: M267

Stephen Crislip’s 2006 Genographic Report ended with M304. The 2013 report includes Branches M267 and P58. M267 originated in West Asia about 7,500 years ago. This man’s people were among the wide traveling hunter-gatherers who were some of the earliest groups to collect and use cereal grains. The Neolithic Revolution pushed this man’s lineage to dominance in West Asia and triggered a population boom that helped descendants of this line expand across Eurasia. Over time, as many empires that rose and fell in West Asia, successive waves of descendants advanced into new lands. Today, the highest frequencies of this line remain in West Asia where it is about 67 percent of male lineages in Saudi Arabia, 47 percent of male lineages in Oman, and 46 percent of male lineages in Jordan. In Central Asia, it is around nine percent of the male population in Azerbaijan and Afghanistan. It is about four percent of male lineages in Kazakhstan and about two percent of male lineages in Uzbekistan. In Europe, it is around eight percent of the male population in Italy and Spain. It is between three and four percent of the male population in Germany. In South Asia, it is present at lower frequencies of around one percent in India and Sri Lanka, but it is about six percent of male lineages in Pakistan.

BRANCH: P58

Branch P58 is a sub-branch of M-267. Because of the dominance of P58 in M267 in many populations, the two branches are discussed at the same time.

For most of their history, members of P58 have remained in their West Asian homeland. More recently, some groups from this line have traveled to Europe and Central Asia.

Today, in Europe, it is present at trace frequencies of less than one percent in most populations. However, it is one to two percent of the male population in Spain and between two and three percent of the male population in Portugal.

In West Asia, it is about eight percent of Kurdish populations. It is between 11 and 13 percent of male lineages among the Druze. It is about 33 percent of the Saudi Arabian male population. It is about 20 percent of Jewish Diaspora population groups.

SUMMARY

Although descriptions of M267 and P58 appear similar to M304, the future knowledge gained through them will enrich our understanding of our Middle Eastern ancestry, as passed down through the descendants of Friedrich Carl Christlieb.

FRIEDRICH CARL CHRISTLIEB’S HOMINID
ANCESTRY – NEANDERTHALS AND
DENISOVANS

When Friedrich Carl Christlieb’s ancestors first migrated out of Africa, around 60,000 years ago, they were not alone. At that time, at least two other species of hominid cousins walked the Eurasian landmass: Neanderthals and Denisovans. As our modern human ancestors migrated through Eurasia, they encountered the Neanderthals and interbred. Because of this, a small amount of Neanderthal DNA was introduced into the modern human gene pool.

Everyone living outside of Africa today has a small amount of Neanderthal in them, carried as a living relic of these ancient encounters. A team of scientists comparing the full genomes of the two species concluded that most Europeans and Asians have between one to four percent Neanderthal DNA. Analysis reveals that 3.5% Neanderthal DNA can be found in Friedrich Carl Christlieb’s descendants. Indigenous sub-Saharan Africans have no Neanderthal DNA because their ancestors did not migrate through Eurasia.

DENISOVAN ANCESTRY

When our ancestors first migrated out of Africa around 60,000 years ago, they were not alone. At least two of our hominid cousins had made the same journey—Neanderthals and Denisovans. Neanderthals, the better known of the two species, left Africa about 300,000 years ago and settled in Europe and parts of western Asia. The Denisovans are a much more recent addition to the human family tree. In 2008, paleoanthropologists digging in a cave in southern Siberia unearthed a 40,000-year-old adult tooth and an exquisitely preserved fossilized pinkie bone that had belonged to a young girl who was between five and seven years old when she died.

Recently, scientists successfully extracted nuclear DNA from the pinkie bone and conducted comparison studies with the genomes of modern humans and Neanderthals. Studies show the girl was closely related to Neanderthals, yet distinct enough to merit classification as a new species of archaic humans, which scientists named “Denisovan,” after the cave where the pinkie bone was found.

Analysis indicates the DNA of Friedrich Carl Christlieb’s descendants to be 2% Denisovan.

300,000 TO 400,000 YEARS AGO HOMO HEIDELBERGENSIS

On one level, it’s not surprising that modern humans were able to interbreed with their close cousins. According to one theory, Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans are all descended from the ancient human Homo heidelbergensis. Between 300,000 to 400,000 years ago, an ancestral group of H. heidelbergensis left Africa and then split shortly after. One branch ventured northwestward into West Asia and Europe and became the Neanderthals. The other branch moved east, becoming Denisovans. By 130,000 years ago H. heidelbergensis in Africa had become Homo sapiens. Our modern human ancestors did not begin their own exodus from Africa until about 60,000 years ago, when they expanded into Eurasia and encountered their ancient cousins. •

Relevant Terms

DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid: DNA is a molecule that encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and many viruses.

Genetic marker: A gene or DNA sequence with a known location on the chromosome that can be used to identify individual or species. It can be described as a variation arising from a mutation that can be observed. Genetic markers in Friedrich Carl Christlieb’s deep ancestry include M2, M168, M304, and M267. M304 and M267 belong to Haplogroup J and J1, respectively.

Haplogroup: The best explanation for this term and other aspects of deep ancestry can be found on the Internet. Go to your web browser and type in DNAeXplained. Here, you will find explanations for the lay person.

- Ned Crislip

Back to Top