Overview
D1a1 (P99) represents the mainland-oriented core of the D1a radiation. This lineage formed among late Paleolithic hunter-gatherer groups occupying the mountainous regions of southern China, northern Myanmar, and mainland Southeast Asia. Over time it contributed ancestry to populations ancestral to modern Tibeto-Burman speakers and to several Holocene-era highland groups. D1a1 contrasts with the island/coastal orientation of D1a2 and represents an interior East Asian settlement corridor.
Geographic distribution
Today D1a1 occurs in Tibet, Yunnan, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and southwestern China, with trace levels in Bhutan and Northeast India. Its distribution largely follows highland–foothill transitions.
Ancient DNA
- Paleolithic southern Chinese genomes show early D1a1-like signals.
- Neolithic sites in Yunnan and northern Myanmar preserve basal D1a1 branches.
- Bronze Age Tibeto-Burman-associated individuals contain downstream D1a1 subclades.
Phylogeny & subclades
D1a1 is defined by P99 and contains several downstream branches linking Sino-Tibetan expansions with earlier mainland hunter-gatherer substrates.
Notes & context
D1a1 is central for understanding the paternal roots of Sino-Tibetan and Southeast Asian highland populations.
References & external links