AI interpretationAI-generated
North African genomes reveal Palaeolithic continuity plus Neolithic-driven change.
This study analysed 21 complete North African genomes alongside ancient and modern DNA. North Africa's gene pool is a mix, including a rare endemic Epipalaeolithic component that declines from west to east. Neolithization, not later Arabization, shaped most present-day variation. Populations share a common history but differ in component proportions due to local admixture, isolation and endogamy.
- A rare endemic North African Epipalaeolithic component persists at low frequency, declining from western to eastern North Africa.
- Neolithization shaped most current genetic variation in North Africa more than later back-migrations such as Arabization.
- North African groups share a common genetic history but differ internally through admixture, drift, isolation and endogamy.
Sample interpretation
The site dataset includes 8 Y-chromosome-resolved samples from 5 locations. Y lineages are dominated by E-MZ1 (2 samples) plus single E-MF657052, E-MZ179, E-Y188161, E-FT243964, E-MZ243 and L-FTF22196. Mitochondrial DNA is diverse: HV0-a, L2a1a, L3e2b1, W1-T119C, K1a3a and J1d1a1 each appear once. This small sample shows mainly E-related paternal lines and varied maternal lineages.
For genealogy enthusiasts
For ancestry enthusiasts, North Africa is not simply a Palaeolithic relic or a later replacement. Expect a shared but internally varied genetic landscape, with Neolithic ancestry prominent and later Arabization leaving a smaller genetic mark.
Abstract
North Africa is located at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Sea, the Middle East, and the Sahara Desert. Extensive migrations and gene flow in the region have shaped many different cultures and ancestral genetic components through time [1–6]. DNA data from ancient Moroccan sites [7, 8] has recently shed some light to the population continuity-versus-replacement debate, i.e., the question of whether current North African populations descend from Palaeolithic groups or, on the contrary, subsequent migrations swept away all pre-existing genetic signal in the region. In the present study, we analyze 21 complete North African genomes and compare them with extant and ancient genome data in order to address the demographic continuity-versus-replacement debate, to assess whether these demographic events were homogeneous (including Berber and Arabic-speaking groups), and to explore the effect of Neolithization and posterior migration waves. The North African genetic pool is defined as a melting pot of genetic components, including an endemic North African Epipalaeolithic component at low frequency that forms a declining gradient from Western to Eastern North Africa. This scenario is consistent with Neolithization having shaped most of the current genetic variation in the region when compared to posterior back-to-North-Africa migration waves such as the Arabization. A common and distinct genetic history of the region is shown, with internal different proportions of genetic components owing to differential admixture with surrounding groups as well as to genetic drift due to isolation and endogamy in certain populations.