Pleistocene North African genomes link Near Eastern and sub-Saharan African human populations

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.

Source: ScienceNOW - May 3, 2018 Category: Science Authors: van de Loosdrecht, M., Bouzouggar, A., Humphrey, L., Posth, C., Barton, N., Aximu-Petri, A., Nickel, B., Nagel, S., Talbi, E. H., El Hajraoui, M. A., Amzazi, S., Hublin, J.-J., Pääbo, S., Schiffels, S., Meyer, M., Haak, W., Jeong, C., Krau Tags: Evolution, Genetics reports Source Type: news