mtdna haplogroup T

Haplogroup T is believed to have lived in Northern Italy approximately 17,000 years ago. Bryan Sykes, author of the book "Seven Daughters of Eve" named this group "Tara".

Tara's people would have come from the Near East, with her descendents spreading all over Europe.

There are currently five subgroups identified within haplogroup T: T1, T2, T3, T4, T5

Haplogroup T is believed to have branched from haplogroup JT which gave rise to haplogroup J, with a distinguishing factor between the two being an additional mutation at HVR1 16294 which defines haplogroup T and a mutation at HVR1 16069, which defines haplogroup J.

Haplogroup T is considered to be one of the main genetic signatures of the Neolithic expansions. It is currently found in high concentrations around the Eastern Baltic Sea, and accounts for slightly less than 10% of modern day Europeans. Its branches are widely distributed throughout Southern and Western Europe with particularly high concentrations in Ireland and west of Britain. According to the Genographic Project, haplogroup T has a very wide spread distribution, and is present as far east as the Indus Valley bordering India and Pakistan and as far south as the Arabian Peninsula.