Chromosomal Laboratories, Inc.

Setting the Standard for
Quality DNA Identification

According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 39 million
Americans claiming some degree African ancestry, representing approximately 13% of the population in
the United States.

Into the America

The first African Americans arrived as Indentured Servants via Jamestown Virginia in 1619. From 1619
to around 1640, Africans could earn their freedom by working as laborers for European settlers. In an
economy highly dependent on manual labor, the demand for slaves in America escalated rapidly.
Slavery grew at such a fast rate that by 1800 there were over 700,000 slaves in the United States.
From 1619 to 1850, over 10 million native Africans were enslaved from seven west coast regions of
Africa and transplanted in the Americas, with over 35 percent going to Brazil alone.

During this era, historical records of slaves were dismal at best and the process often resulted in the
destruction of family and ancestral heritage. Through DNA analysis of select global populations,
scientists have devised two genetic classification systems to define the over six billion people in the
world today. One system traces male ancestry through the Y chromosome and the other uses
mitochondrial DNA to trace maternal lineages.   While the genetic landscape has likely changed
somewhat in the last 400 years from human migration, genetic analysis can provide some degree of
ancestral information lost to history.
Male African Genetic Markers

SNP in their DNA inherited it from a common male ancestor who lived many thousands of years ago.
SNP in their DNA inherited it from a common male ancestor who lived many thousands of years ago.

Haplogroup A

Haplogroup A, first appearing 55,000 years ago, is the oldest of all Y haplogroups and is considered a
direct genetic link to early man.   It is found almost exclusively in Africa with a wide distribution, but low to
moderate frequency. Haplogroup A has been found in the San Bushman, Hadza, Kung, Khwe, Malians,
Sudanese and Ethiopians.

African Ancestry (Paternal Lineage)

Haplogroup B

Another one of the older Y haplogroups, haplogroup B is found almost exclusively in Africa, although it
has been detected rarely in Pakistani people. It occurs at low frequency throughout most of Africa, with
its highest frequency occurring in Pygmy populations.

Haplogroup D

Haplogroup D first appeared approximately 50,000 years ago and likely accompanied the people of
haplogroup C on their great coastal migration through the Southern Arabian Peninsula, India, Southeast
Asia and ultimately Australia.

Haplogroup E

Haplogroup E consists of three main branches. Two of the three branches, E1 and E2, are found
almost exclusively in Africa, while the third, E3, has also been observed in Europe and in Western Asia
where it has been found at frequencies of 25% or less. It is currently believed that the E3a haplogroup
migrated south from North Africa with the Bantu agricultural expansion within the last 3,000 years. As a
result of its predominance in West Africa, most African-Americans belong to this haplogroup. The E3b
haplogroup, on the other hand, is believed to have evolved in the Middle East and migrated into the
Mediterranean during the Pleistocene Neolithic expansion. It is currently found in the Mediterranean,
Southern Europe, and in Northern and Eastern Africa.

Non African Markers

A recent study of 115 African Americans, conducted by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology showed that 23% of the male participants belonged to the R1b haplogroup, a group
common among Western Europeans. In the absence of recent known admixture, this is likely
attributable to the nature of slave life. Other non-African haplogroups that were detected in this African
American population in low frequency include haplogroup I, K and G.

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