A Green Sahara and a genetic surpriseLinks to Morocco, not sub-Saharan AfricaHow culture spread without mass migrationFor thousands of years, the Sahara has symbolised extreme isolation, a landscape so hostile it feels incompatible with sustained human life. Both groups show a similar genetic distance from sub-Saharan African populations of the same era, suggesting limited gene flow between northern and sub-Saharan Africa during the Green Sahara period.The comparison also revealed unexpected patterns of Neanderthal ancestry. The Taforalt population carries roughly half the Neanderthal DNA found in non-African populations today. Researchers also found faint evidence of genetic admixture with Levantine farmers, though the Takarkori gene pool remained largely distinct.For decades, archaeologists assumed that pastoralism and early farming spread across North Africa through waves of migration. The Takarkori mummies offer a rare glimpse into that lost world, and suggest there may be more discoveries waiting to complicate what we think we know about ancient human ancestry.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 01, 2026 12:47 UTC