AI Article Synopsis
- North Africa's genetic history is relatively unexplored, despite its significance in human history.
- Genomic analysis of 15,000-year-old humans from Morocco reveals a genetic link to early Holocene populations in the Near East, suggesting connections before agriculture emerged.
- The findings indicate that these ancient North Africans had a significant sub-Saharan ancestry and show no evidence of gene flow from European populations during the Paleolithic era.
Article Abstract
North Africa is a key region for understanding human history, but the genetic history of its people is largely unknown. We present genomic data from seven 15,000-year-old modern humans, attributed to the Iberomaurusian culture, from Morocco. We find a genetic affinity with early Holocene Near Easterners, best represented by Levantine Natufians, suggesting a pre-agricultural connection between Africa and the Near East. We do not find evidence for gene flow from Paleolithic Europeans to Late Pleistocene North Africans. The Taforalt individuals derive one-third of their ancestry from sub-Saharan Africans, best approximated by a mixture of genetic components preserved in present-day West and East Africans. Thus, we provide direct evidence for genetic interactions between modern humans across Africa and Eurasia in the Pleistocene.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aar8380 | DOI Listing |
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