When mitochondrial DNA sequence variation is analyzed from a sample of 637 individuals in 14 European populations, most populations show little differentiation with respect to each other. However, the Saami distinguish themselves by a comparatively large amount of sequence difference when compared with the other populations, by a different distribution of sequence diversity within the population, and by the occurrence of particular sequence motifs. Thus, the Saami seem to have a long history distinct from other European populations. Linguistic affiliations are not reflected in the patterns of relationships of mitochondrial lineages in European populations, whereas prior studies of nuclear gene frequencies have shown a correlation between genetic and linguistic evolution. It is argued that this apparent contradiction is attributable to the fact that genetic lineages and gene frequencies reflect different time perspectives on population history, the latter being more in concordance with linguistic evolution.

In a study of human diversity at a highly variable locus, we have mapped the internal structures of tandem-repetitive alleles from different populations at the minisatellite MS205 (D16S309). The results give an unusually detailed view of the different allelic structures represented on modern human chromosomes, and of the ancestral relationships between them. There was a clear difference in allelic diversity between African and non-African populations. A restricted set of allele families was found in non-African populations, and formed a subset of the much greater diversity seen on African chromosomes. The data strongly support a recent African origin for modern human diversity at this locus.