The first ancient genome of the Green Sahara has been deciphered

A new study reveals long human lineages in North Africa in the Central Sahara during a humid period of Africa more than 7,000 years ago.

To the point

DNA analysis from two natural mummy individuals from Libya: Over 7,000 years ago, during the so-called African moisture (green Sahara), there was a long, isolated human lineage in North Africa.

Limited Gene Flow: The genome does not carry sub-Saharan African ancestry, suggesting that, contrary to previous interpretations, the green Sahara was not a migratory corridor between northern and sub-Saharan Africa. The spreading of migratory bird flocks in the green Sahara probably occurred through cultural exchanges.

Genetic traces of Neanderthal: Ancient individuals show a largely isolated North African population compared to non-African people.

This study provides new insight into the moisture in Africa 14, 500 to 5,000 years ago, when the Sahara Desert was a green savanna and a green savanna rich in waters that promoted the spread of human habitation and pastoralism. The subsequent motivation transformed the area into the world's largest desert. Due to the extreme dryness of today's regions, DNA preservation is poor, making this pioneering ancient DNA research even more important.

Genomic analysis reveals that the ancestors of individuals in the Takalkori rock shelter are primarily derived from North African lineages that diverged from sub-Saharan African populations roughly at the same time as modern human lineages that spread outside of Africa 50,000 years ago. The newly described lineage remains isolated, revealing deep genetic continuity in North Africa during the late Ice Age. Although this lineage no longer exists in an unconfused form, its ancestors remain a central genetic component of today's North African people, highlighting their unique heritage.

North Africa remained genetically isolated

Additionally, these individuals share close genetic ties with 15,000-year-old foraging people who lived during the ice age in Tafort Caves in Morocco, associated with the timeless Iberomaur stone industry of Africa's humidity. Notably, both groups are equally separated from sub-Saharan African lineages, indicating that despite Sahara greening, gene flows between sub-Saharan and North African populations differed from previous proposals, and that the duration of African humidity remained limited.

The study also sheds light on Neandertal ancestors, indicating that Takarkolians have 10 times less Neandertal DNA than non-African people, but more than modern sub-Saharan Africans. “Our findings suggest that although the early North African populations are largely isolated, they received traces of Neandertial DNA due to gene flows from outside Africa,” said Johannes Kraus, director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

The spread of idyllicism in the green Sahara

“Our work challenges previous assumptions about the history of the population in North Africa and highlights the existence of deep-rooted, long-term genetic lineages,” said Nada Salem, the first author of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. “The findings reveal how idyllicism spreads across the green Sahara, not through cultural exchanges, rather than on a large scale.”

“This study highlights the importance of ancient DNA for reconstructing human history in areas like central North Africa, and provides independent support for archaeological hypotheses.” “By shedding light on the deep Sahara past, we aim to enhance knowledge of human migration, adaptation, and cultural evolution in this important region,” added Savino di Lernia, senior author at the University of Sapienza in Rome.