70,000 Year Old Ancestral mitochondrial N lineage from the Neolithic ‘green’ Sahara

Ancestral mitochondrial N lineage from the Neolithic ‘green’ Sahara (2019). StefaniaVai 1, Stefania Sarno2, Martina Lari 1, Donata Luiselli3, Giorgio Manzi4, MarinaGallinaro 5, Safaa Mataich2, Alexander Hübner6, Alessandra Modi1, Elena Pilli1, MaryAnneTafuri4, DavidCaramelli1 & Savino di Lernia .  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-39802-1.pdf




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 modifed haplotype frequencies, masking ancient genetic scenarios. Thanks to improved methodologies, ancient genetic data for the African continent are now increasingly available, starting to fll in the gap. Here we present newly obtained mitochondrial genomes from two ~7000-yearold individuals from Takarkori rockshelter, Libya, representing the earliest and frst 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.

In 2010 I published " Origin and Spread of Haplogroup N" , Bioresearch Bulletin (2010) 4: 201-207. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259979779_Origin_and_Spread_of_Haplogroup_N   . In this article I explained that Haplogroup N, originated in Africa. Discovery of a African from the Sahara dating to 70,000 BC support my research