mtDNA analysis of Indian populations

[Geeta Bharathan]

You might be interested in a recent article:

Susanta Roychoudhury et al 2000.
Fundamental genomic unity of ethnic India is revealed by analysis of
mitochondrial DNA
Current Science Vol 79 No 9: 1182-1192.

You can download it from:
http://www.iisc.ernet.in/~currsci/nov102000/contents.htm

I have not read the article in detail, but it seems to be well done.
Nevertheless, I would be cautious about making generalizations based on single
genes/genomes, including in the European study cited below. It still is one
line of evidence, and one that still is fragmentary.

--Geeta

========================
Geeta Bharathan
Assistant Professor
Department of Ecology & Evolution
State University of New York
Stony Brook, NY 11794-5245
========================

"Dr Y. Vassilkov" wrote:

>        Recently you could learn from the mass media about the latest
> discovery of geneticists who proved that 80% of total European population
> are direct genetic descendants of a very small group (a dozen individuals or
> so) which had come in the Paleolithic period from the Ural mountains. I hope
> very much that the same kind of analysis will be done soon for India and I
> am almost sure the results would be similar.