Genetic history of Africa

Not to be confused with Genetic history of the African diaspora.

Population structure of African populations in a broad context. ADMIXTURE analysis of 2,194 individuals from 81 populations for 16,420 SNPs reveals both well-established and novel ancestry components in African populations.

The genetic history of Africa summarizes the genetic makeup and population history of African populations in Africa, composed of the overall genetic history, including the regional genetic histories of North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa, as well as the recent origin of modern humans in Africa. The Sahara served as a trans-regional passageway and place of dwelling for people in Africa during various humid phases[1][2][3] and periods throughout the history of Africa.[4][5] It also served as a biological barrier that restricted geneflow between the northern and central parts of Africa since its desertification, contributing to the diverse and distinct population structures on the continent. Nonetheless, this did not stop contact between peoples north and south of the Sahara at various points, especially in prehistoric times when the climate conditions were warmer and wetter.[6]

  1. ^ Osborne AH, et al. (October 2008). "A humid corridor across the Sahara for the migration of early modern humans out of Africa 120,000 years ago". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105 (43): 16444–16447. Bibcode:2008PNAS..10516444O. doi:10.1073/pnas.0804472105. PMC 2575439. PMID 18936490. S2CID 10418009.
  2. ^ Drake N, Breeze P (2016). "Climate Change and Modern Human Occupation of the Sahara from MIS 6-2". Africa from MIS 6-2. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Africa from MIS 6-2. pp. 103–122. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-7520-5_6. ISBN 978-94-017-7519-9. S2CID 131383927.
  3. ^ El-Shenawy MI, et al. (2018). "Speleothem evidence for the greening of the Sahara and its implications for the early human dispersal out of sub-Saharan Africa". Quaternary Science Reviews. 188: 67–76. Bibcode:2018QSRv..188...67E. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.03.016. S2CID 134694090.
  4. ^ Scheele J (August 2016). Crossroads Regions: The Sahara. Oxford Handbooks Online. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935369.013.18. ISBN 978-0-19-993536-9.
  5. ^ Wippel S (2020). "The Sahara as a Bridge, Not a Barrier: An Essay and Book Review on Recent Transregional Perspectives". Neue Politische Literatur. 65 (3): 449–472. doi:10.1007/s42520-020-00318-y. S2CID 224855920.
  6. ^ Lucas-Sánchez M, Fadhlaoui-Zid K, Comas D (14 February 2023). "The genomic analysis of current-day North African populations reveals the existence of trans-Saharan migrations with different origins and dates". Human Genetics. 142 (2): 305–320. doi:10.1007/s00439-022-02503-3. ISSN 1432-1203. PMC 9918576. PMID 36441222.