Homo sapiens-specific evolution unveiled by ancient southern African genomes.

ABSTRACT: Homo sapiens evolved hundreds of thousands of years ago in Africa, later spreading across the globe¹, but the early evolutionary process is debated^2-6. Here we present whole-genome sequencing data for 28 ancient southern African individuals, including six individuals with 25× to 7.2× genome coverage, dated to between 10,200 and 150 calibrated years before present (cal. BP). All ancient southern Africans dated to more than 1,400 cal. BP show a genetic make-up that is outside the range of genetic variation in modern-day humans (including southern African Khoe-San people, although some retain up to 80% ancient southern African ancestry), manifesting in a large fraction of Homo sapiens-specific variants that are unique to ancient southern Africans. Homo sapiens-specific v

SUBMITTER: Jakobsson M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12872451 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature