9,000 years of genetic continuity in southernmost Africa demonstrated at Oakhurst rockshelter.

ABSTRACT: Southern Africa has one of the longest records of fossil hominins and harbours the largest human genetic diversity in the world. Yet, despite its relevance for human origins and spread around the globe, the formation and processes of its gene pool in the past are still largely unknown. Here, we present a time transect of genome-wide sequences from nine individuals recovered from a single site in South Africa, Oakhurst Rockshelter. Spanning the whole Holocene, the ancient DNA of these individuals allows us to reconstruct the demographic trajectories of the indigenous San population and their ancestors during the last 10,000 years. We show that, in contrast to most regions around the world, the population history of southernmost Africa was not characterized by several waves of migration, rep

SUBMITTER: Gretzinger J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11541196 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature