Latest news with #AfricanHumidPeriod
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
7,000-Year-Old Mummies Discovered Without Modern Human DNA
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Two 7,000-year-old mummies from the Takarkori rock shelter in the Sahara have been found to be from a group with a previously unknown ancestry. DNA analysis of the mummies, which are the remains of female herders from a time when the Sahara was more humid and known as the Green Sahara, did not show the expected Sub-Saharan genes. The Takarkori individuals are most closely related to other North African peoples who diverged from Sub-Saharan populations long before. While the Sahara is now a vast expanse of sand where the fight for survival can be brutal, there was a time (however difficult that is to believe) when it was actually green and flourishing. Between 14,800 and 5,500 years ago, during what is known as the African Humid Period, the desert known for being one of the driest places on Earth actually had enough water to support a way of life. Back then, it was a savannah that early human populations settled in to take advantage of the favorable farming conditions. Among them was a mysterious people who lived in what is now southwestern Libya and should have been genetically Sub-Saharan—except, upon a modern analysis, their genes didn't reflect that. Led by archaeogeneticist Nada Salem from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, a team of researchers analyzed the genes of two 7,000-year-old naturally preserved mummies of Neolithic female herders from the Takarkori rock shelter. Though genetic material does not preserve well in arid climates, which is why much about ancient human populations in the Sahara remains a mystery, there was enough fragmented DNA to give insights into their past. 'The majority of Takarkori individuals' ancestry stems from a previously unknown North African genetic lineage that diverged from sub-Saharan African lineages around the same time as present-day humans outside Africa and remained isolated throughout most of its existence,' they said in a study recently published in Nature. The Takarkori individuals are actually close relatives of 15,000-year-old foragers from Taforalt Cave in Morocco. Both lineages have about the same genetic distance from Sub-Saharan groups that existed during that period, which suggests that there was not much gene flow between Sub-Saharan and Northen Africa at the time. The Taforalt people also have half the Neanderthal genes of non-Africans, while the Takarkori have ten times less. What is strange is that they still have more Neanderthal DNA than other sub-Saharan peoples who were around at the time. While the Takarkori apparently had less contact with Neanderthals than the Taforalt, they must have somehow had more contact than other groups in their region. There are also traces of evidence for admixture with farmers from the Levant. Otherwise, the genes of the Takarkori reveal them to have been mostly isolated. They were genetically close to Northwestern African foragers such as the Taforalt but otherwise distinct from Sub-Saharan populations. This can only mean that there was not much genetic exchange in the Green Sahara during the African Humid Period. It used to be thought that farming practices spread through the region by migrations. Salem's team has another explanation. 'Our findings suggest that pastoralism spread through cultural diffusion into a deeply divergent, isolated North African lineage that had probably been widespread in Northern Africa during the late Pleistocene epoch,' they said in the same study. It seems that farming spread through the exchange of practices between cultures rather than admixture resulting from migrations. The Takarkori are thought to have inherited their genes from a hunter-gatherer group that was around during a period before animals were domesticated and farming began. Despite being hunter-gatherers, the ancestors of the Takarkori made advances in the manufacture of pottery, baskets, and tools made of wood and bone. They also stayed in one place for longer periods of time. The reason the Takarkori stayed isolated probably has to do with the diversity of environments in the Green Sahara. These ranged from lakes and wetlands to woodlands to grasslands, savannas and even mountains. Such differences in habitats were barriers to interaction between human populations. Somewhere in the sands of the Sahara and the sands of time, there might be hidden mummies or artifacts waiting to tell us more about what life was like in the desert before it dried out. You Might Also Like Can Apple Cider Vinegar Lead to Weight Loss? Bobbi Brown Shares Her Top Face-Transforming Makeup Tips for Women Over 50
Saba Yemen
09-04-2025
- Science
- Saba Yemen
Discovery of an Unknown Human Race in Libya Reveals Secrets of North African Population
Tripoli - (Saba): A recent scientific study has revealed the presence of a previously unknown human race in North Africa, dating back to the period of human dispersal outside the continent 50,000 years ago. An international research team from the Max Planck Institute in Germany and the Italian universities of Florence and Rome discovered the DNA of two women's remains at the Tarkori rock shelter in the Libyan desert, dating back to the African Humid Period. The study showed that the Sahara Desert during that period was a fertile environment with water bodies and forests, which supported human settlement. Genetic analyses revealed a unique human race in North Africa that was isolated from sub-Saharan Africa, changing previous perceptions about genetic exchange between the two regions. Professor Johannes Krausz, Director of the Max Planck Institute, said that the results overturn previous concepts, while Dr. Nada Salem added that the study reveals a human civilization that developed in isolation in the green Sahara. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Discovered 7,000-Year-Old Mummies in the Desert That Don't Share DNA With Modern Humans
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Two 7,000-year-old mummies from the Takarkori rock shelter in the Sahara have been found to be from a group with a previously unknown ancestry. DNA analysis of the mummies, which are the remains of female herders from a time when the Sahara was more humid and known as the Green Sahara, did not show the expected Sub-Saharan genes. The Takarkori individuals are most closely related to other North African peoples who diverged from Sub-Saharan populations long before. While the Sahara is now a vast expanse of sand where the fight for survival can be brutal, there was a time (however difficult that is to believe) when it was actually green and flourishing. Between 14,800 and 5,500 years ago, during what is known as the African Humid Period, the desert known for being one of the driest places on Earth actually had enough water to support a way of life. Back then, it was a savannah that early human populations settled in to take advantage of the favorable farming conditions. Among them was a mysterious people who lived in what is now southwestern Libya and should have been genetically Sub-Saharan—except, upon a modern analysis, their genes didn't reflect that. Led by archaeogeneticist Nada Salem from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, a team of researchers analyzed the genes of two 7,000-year-old naturally preserved mummies of Neolithic female herders from the Takarkori rock shelter. Though genetic material does not preserve well in arid climates, which is why much about ancient human populations in the Sahara remains a mystery, there was enough fragmented DNA to give insights into their past. 'The majority of Takarkori individuals' ancestry stems from a previously unknown North African genetic lineage that diverged from sub-Saharan African lineages around the same time as present-day humans outside Africa and remained isolated throughout most of its existence,' they said in a study recently published in Nature. The Takarkori individuals are actually close relatives of 15,000-year-old foragers from Taforalt Cave in Morocco. Both lineages have about the same genetic distance from Sub-Saharan groups that existed during that period, which suggests that there was not much gene flow between Sub-Saharan and Northen Africa at the time. The Taforalt people also have half the Neanderthal genes of non-Africans, while the Takarkori have ten times less. What is strange is that they still have more Neanderthal DNA than other sub-Saharan peoples who were around at the time. While the Takarkori apparently had less contact with Neanderthals than the Taforalt, they must have somehow had more contact than other groups in their region. There are also traces of evidence for admixture with farmers from the Levant. Otherwise, the genes of the Takarkori reveal them to have been mostly isolated. They were genetically close to Northwestern African foragers such as the Taforalt but otherwise distinct from Sub-Saharan populations. This can only mean that there was not much genetic exchange in the Green Sahara during the African Humid Period. It used to be thought that farming practices spread through the region by migrations. Salem's team has another explanation. 'Our findings suggest that pastoralism spread through cultural diffusion into a deeply divergent, isolated North African lineage that had probably been widespread in Northern Africa during the late Pleistocene epoch,' they said in the same study. It seems that farming spread through the exchange of practices between cultures rather than admixture resulting from migrations. The Takarkori are thought to have inherited their genes from a hunter-gatherer group that was around during a period before animals were domesticated and farming began. Despite being hunter-gatherers, the ancestors of the Takarkori made advances in the manufacture of pottery, baskets, and tools made of wood and bone. They also stayed in one place for longer periods of time. The reason the Takarkori stayed isolated probably has to do with the diversity of environments in the Green Sahara. These ranged from lakes and wetlands to woodlands to grasslands, savannas and even mountains. Such differences in habitats were barriers to interaction between human populations. Somewhere in the sands of the Sahara and the sands of time, there might be hidden mummies or artifacts waiting to tell us more about what life was like in the desert before it dried out. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
CBS News
05-04-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Sahara desert, once lush and green, was home to mysterious human lineage, study says
The Sahara desert, once lush and green, during a time between 14,500 and 5,000 years ago, was also home to a mysterious human lineage, a new study has found. Researchers from Germany's Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology detailed in a study published in Nature this week their findings from the DNA of two 7,000-year-old naturally mummified individuals excavated from the Takarkori rock shelter in southwestern Libya. The humans lived during the "African Humid Period," when the Sahara desert was green and dotted with lakes and streams. Humans lived in the area, and pastoralism — or flock tending — was prevalent, researchers said. Aridification, when a region becomes gradually and increasingly drier, turned the once lush oasis into the Sahara desert known today. Using genomic analysis, the researchers found that the North African lineage diverged from sub-Saharan African populations at about the same time as the modern human lineages that spread outside of Africa around 50,000 years ago. The Takarkori mummies had their own unique and isolated lineage. The mummies shared close genetic ties with 15,000-year-old foragers that lived during the Ice Age in Taforalt Cave, Morocco. Researchers also traced the mummies' Neandertal ancestry and found they have tenfold less Neandertal DNA than people outside Africa, but more than contemporary sub-Saharan Africans. "Our findings suggest that while early North African populations were largely isolated, they received traces of Neandertal DNA due to gene flow from outside Africa," senior author Johannes Krause, director at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, said in a statement. The findings also revealed that the "Green Sahara" wasn't as widely used for migration as previously thought, researchers said. That meant instead of different populations intermixing during large movements, groups more than likely interacted infrequently, and did so through cultural interchange. "Our research challenges previous assumptions about North African population history and highlights the existence of a deeply rooted and long-isolated genetic lineage," said Nada Salem, a first author and researcher from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. "This discovery reveals how pastoralism spread across the Green Sahara, likely through cultural exchange rather than large-scale migration."
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Unknown human lineage lived in 'Green Sahara' 7,000 years ago, ancient DNA reveals
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Two 7,000-year-old mummies belong to a previously unknown human lineage that remained isolated in North Africa for thousands of years, a new study finds. The mummies are the remains of women who once lived in the "Green Sahara," also known as the African Humid Period. Between 14,500 and 5,000 years ago, the now-inhospitable Sahara was a humid and verdant savanna, home to humans who hunted and eventually herded animals alongside lakes and rivers. DNA from the two mummies revealed that the never-before-seen North African lineage was distinct and isolated from populations living in sub-Saharan Africa around the same time. The findings, reported April 2 in the journal Nature, suggest there was little genetic exchange across the Green Sahara during this time, though some cultural practices may have spread through the region. Between 2003 and 2006, archaeologists unearthed the remains of 15 individuals in the Takarkori rock shelter, located near the middle of the Sahara in what is now southwestern Libya. The site included evidence of human occupation and pastoralism, or herding, dating back more than 8,000 years. Of the 15 individuals, most of whom were women and children, two had naturally mummified, which helped preserve their DNA. "We were very fortunate to have samples preserved at this level," study co-author Nada Salem, a paleogeneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, told Science magazine. The region's high temperatures can quickly break down the DNA in human remains, leaving few examples of ancient DNA in the region. A 2019 study examined mitochondrial DNA from the same remains. However, mitochondrial DNA, which is only inherited from the mother, doesn't provide as much information about population dynamics as DNA from chromosomes, which is inherited from both parents. To obtain this genome-wide data, the researchers extracted preserved DNA from the mummified remains and compared it with DNA from about 800 present-day individuals from Africa, the Near East and southern Europe, along with 117 ancient genomes from the same regions. Related: Could the Sahara ever be green again? The Takarkori individuals possessed genetic markers distinct from populations in sub-Saharan Africa, the team found, suggesting they were from a previously unknown and relatively isolated lineage that diverged from sub-Saharan African populations some 50,000 years ago. But the individuals did have some ancestors from the Levant, a stretch of land bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Takarkori DNA also showed traces of Neanderthal ancestry that could only have been acquired outside of Africa, as Neanderthals lived in Eurasia. But the mummies' genomes contained 10 times less Neanderthal DNA than those of people living outside of Africa today. The findings suggest that the Green Sahara didn't act as a migration corridor between sub-Saharan Africa and northern Africa. However, archaeological evidence suggests that cultural exchange between the regions did occur. "We know now that they were isolated in terms of genetics, but not in cultural terms," study co-author Savino di Lernia, an archaeologist at Sapienza University of Rome, told CNN. "There's a lot of networks that we know from several parts of the continent, because we have pottery coming from sub-Saharan Africa. We have pottery coming from the Nile Valley and the like." RELATED STORIES —13 ancient Egyptian mummies found with gold tongues to help them talk in the afterlife —'The stage was now set for the birth and growth of desert dunes': How the Sahara turned from a vast forest to the arid landscape we see today —28,000-year-old Neanderthal-and-human 'Lapedo child' lived tens of thousands of years after our closest relatives went extinct The rise of pastoralism in the Sahara also likely arose from interactions with other groups that were raising domesticated animals at the time, rather than through large-scale migrations, the researchers suspected. This isolated lineage no longer exists in its original form today, but at some point people from this lineage mingled with outsiders, which is why some people living in North Africa today have inherited pieces of this genetic heritage, the researchers found. "By shedding light on the Sahara's deep past, we aim to increase our knowledge of human migrations, adaptations, and cultural evolution in this key region," di Lernia said in a statement.
