Abstract

Because Africa’s climate hampers DNA preservation, knowledge of its genetic variability is mainly restricted to modern samples, even though population genetics dynamics and back-migrations from Eurasia may have modified haplotype frequencies, masking ancient genetic scenarios. Thanks to improved methodologies, ancient genetic data for the African continent are now increasingly available, starting to fill in the gap. Here we present newly obtained mitochondrial genomes from two ~7000-year-old individuals from Takarkori rockshelter, Libya, representing the earliest and first genetic data for the Sahara region. These individuals carry a novel mutation motif linked to the haplogroup N root. Our result demonstrates the presence of an ancestral lineage of the N haplogroup in the Holocene “Green Sahara”, associated to a Middle Pastoral (Neolithic) context.

Details

Title
Ancestral mitochondrial N lineage from the Neolithic ‘green’ Sahara
Author
Vai Stefania 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sarno Stefania 2 ; Lari Martina 1 ; Luiselli Donata 3 ; Manzi Giorgio 4 ; Gallinaro Marina 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Mataich Safaa 2 ; Hübner, Alexander 6 ; Modi, Alessandra 1 ; Pilli Elena 1 ; Tafuri, Mary Anne 4 ; Caramelli, David 1 ; Savino, di Lernia 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

1  University of Florence, Department of Biology, Florence, Italy (GRID:grid.8404.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 1757 2304) 
2  University of Bologna, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Bologna, Italy (GRID:grid.6292.f) (ISNI:0000 0004 1757 1758) 
3  University of Bologna, Department of Cultural Heritage, Ravenna, Italy (GRID:grid.6292.f) (ISNI:0000 0004 1757 1758) 
4  Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Environmental Biology, Rome, Italy (GRID:grid.7841.a) 
5  Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Ancient World Studies, Rome, Italy (GRID:grid.7841.a) 
6  Department Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany (GRID:grid.419518.0) (ISNI:0000 0001 2159 1813) 
7  Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Ancient World Studies, Rome, Italy (GRID:grid.7841.a); University of the Witwatersrand, School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, Johannesburg, South Africa (GRID:grid.11951.3d) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 1135) 
Publication year
2019
Publication date
Dec 2019
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-39802-1
ProQuest document ID
2188202333
Copyright
This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.