A recent scientific study has revealed the existence of a previously unknown human lineage in Africa, dating back to the era when modern human groups began to spread beyond the continent 50,000 years ago.
An international research team from the Max Planck Institute in Germany, in collaboration with the Italian universities of Florence and Rome Sapienza, analyzed the DNA of the remains of two women found at the Tarkori rock shelter in the heart of the Libyan desert.
These remains date back to the period known geologically as the African Humid Period or Green Sahara, when the region was a thriving savanna between 14,500 and 5,000 years ago.
The study reveals that the Sahara—now known as the world's largest hot desert—at that time consisted of vast bodies of water and lush forests, providing an ideal environment for human settlement and livestock farming. This historical paradox raises important questions about the ability of climate change to reshape the map of human civilizations.
Genetic analyses of the discovered remains revealed a major scientific surprise: the presence of a unique human lineage in North Africa that had remained genetically isolated from its counterparts in sub-Saharan Africa for about 50,000 years. These findings refute the previous theory of genetic exchange between the two regions during that period.
The study revealed fascinating details about the genetic makeup of the ancient population. It found that the Tarkori women's DNA contained a lower percentage of Neanderthal genes than populations outside Africa. However, this percentage was higher than that found in sub-Saharan African populations, indicating limited gene flow from outside the African continent.
According to genetic analyses, the two women buried in the Tarkori rock shelter belong to a unique North African lineage that diverged from sub-Saharan populations at the same time that modern human lineages began to spread out of Africa around 50,000 years ago. These two women had "close genetic links" to hunter-gatherers who lived 15,000 years ago during the Ice Age in Taforalt Cave in Morocco, known as the "Iberomaurusian culture," which preceded the African Humid Period.
This lineage is genetically separate from sub-Saharan lineages. Previously, archaeologists believed there was gene flow between the two regions, but the new study proves otherwise. North Africa has its own unique genetic pool.
"These results overturn previous notions and reveal an unexpected genetic separation between north and south of the Sahara," commented Professor Johannes Krause, Director of the Max Planck Institute.
"We have found vital genetic evidence of an advanced human civilization in the Green Desert, evolving in isolation for thousands of years," added Dr. Nada Salem, the study's first author from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
Professor David Caramelli of the University of Florence asserts, "This study proves that modern genetic analysis techniques can unlock secrets of the past that traditional archaeological tools have failed to uncover."
This study was published in the latest issue of Nature.