The Khans

     Genghis Khan is an important person we learned about in history class. He was the first leader and creator of the Mongol Empire. He started the empire from nomadic tribes with no common history, language, or religion. At its largest it was the biggest contiguous empire the world has known. He obviously left his mark on history.  Kublai Khan, Genghis's grandson, was the next great Mongol leader. He led the Mongol empire to conquer China. He also left his mark on history.
    In 2003 there was a report from a medical study that showed the Khans may have left even more of a mark on history. The study showed that 8% of the male population in the region that was the Mongol empire all have the same Y-chromosome. And, .5% of the men in the world have the same chromosome. Of course unless they find Genghis Khan's gave sight, they can't prove that the DNA is or isn't his. Historians say however that all of the unique circumstances surrounding Genghis Khan and his male relatives indicated the Y-chromosome is likely from his family line. They are even calling it the Genghis Khan marker. So it seems the Khans made another mark on history we didn't know about until recently.