Although molecular genetic evidence continues to accumulate that is consistent with a recent
common African ancestry of modern humans, its ability to illuminate regional histories remains
incomplete. A set of unique event polymorphisms associated with the non-recombining portion of the
Y-chromosome (NRY) addresses this issue by providing evidence concerning successful migrations
originating from Africa, which can be interpreted as subsequent colonizations, differentiations and
migrations overlaid upon previous population ranges. A total of 205 markers identified by
denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC), together with 13 taken from the
literature, were used to construct a parsimonious genealogy. Ancestral allelic states were deduced
from orthologous great ape sequences. A total of 131 unique haplotypes were defined which trace the
microevolutionary trajectory of global modern human genetic diversification. The genealogy
provides a detailed phylogeographic portrait of contemporary global population structure that is
emblematic of human origins, divergence and population history that is consistent with climatic,
paleoanthropological and other genetic knowledge.