🧬 Two naturally preserved females from Takarkori Rockshelter in southwestern Libya (~7,000 years old) had genomes primarily derived from a previously unknown, now-extinct North African "ghost lineage." It diverged from other African ancestral populations around 50,000 years ago and has left no known trace in living humans. Diverse Green Sahara environments may have limited contact between communities.
7,000-year-old Takarkori remains reveal a lost North African lineage in the Green Sahara
Site mentioned
📍 Takar
Key facts
- The site is Takarkori Rockshelter, not Takar, in the Tadrart Acacus Mountains of southwestern Libya.
- Two naturally preserved females from Takarkori, dated to about 7,000 years ago, had ancestry primarily derived from a previously unknown, now-extinct North African lineage described by researchers as a "ghost lineage."
- The lineage diverged from the ancestors of other African populations around 50,000 years ago, rather than specifically from modern Sub-Saharan communities.
- The lineage has left no known genetic trace in present-day human populations.
- Researchers suggested that the Green Sahara's varied environments may have limited contact and gene flow between communities.
Sources
Ancient DNA from the Green Sahara Reveals a Lost North African ...anthropology.net
By analyzing DNA from two 7,000-year-old naturally mummified individuals found in the Takarkori rock shelter of southwestern Libya, researchers ...
7,000-Year-Old Skeletons From the 'Green Sahara' Reveal a ...smithsonianmag.com
They've successfully analyzed the DNA of two naturally mummified livestock herders who died roughly 7,000 years ago in present-day Libya, which ...
This 7000-year-old mummy DNA has revealed a 'ghost' branch of ...sciencefocus.com
Scientists have successfully analysed the DNA of two naturally mummified individuals from the Takarkori rock shelter, in what is now southwestern Libya.
Ancient DNA sheds light on origins of 7000-year-old Saharan ... - CNNcnn.com
“DNA extracted from two pastoralist women who were buried at the rock shelter around 7,000 years ago reveals that most of their ancestry can be ...
Takarkori - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Takarkori rockshelter is one of two sites where the earliest evidence of plant processing in pottery has been found, is the first Saharan site where ancient DNA ...
Ancient DNA Reveals Human Lineage of Green Sahara ...archaeology.org
Genomic analyses revealed that the ancestry of the Takarkori individuals primarily derives from a previously unknown and now defunct North ...
First ancient genomes from the Green Sahara decipheredarchaeology.wiki
Genomic analyses reveal that the ancestry of the Takarkori rock shelter individuals primarily derives from a North African lineage that ...
7000-year-old individuals from Takarkori Rockshelter in...researchgate.net
Takarkori shows ten times less Neanderthal ancestry than Levantine farmers, yet significantly more than contemporary sub-Saharan genomes.
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