7,000-Year-Old Genome Analysis Reveals Sahara Was Once a Lush, Green Habitat

April 17, 2025 — A groundbreaking study published in Nature has revealed a stunning glimpse into the verdant past of the Sahara Desert, uncovering a previously unknown North African genetic lineage that thrived during the African Humid Period (AHP) over 7,000 years ago. Conducted by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig and the Sapienza University of Rome, the research is based on DNA retrieved from two mummified individuals found at the Takarkori rock shelter in southwest Libya.

Sahara’s Green Past Confirmed Through Ancient DNA

The study provides compelling genetic evidence that the Sahara, now the world’s largest hot desert, was once a lush savannah landscape teeming with grasslands, lakes, and pastoral communities between 14,500 and 5,000 years ago. These fertile conditions supported early human occupation and livestock farming during the Holocene epoch.

Ancient DNA analysis is particularly rare in desert environments due to preservation challenges. However, the genetic material extracted from Takarkori is among the most intact found in the Sahara, offering a window into a unique and genetically isolated North African population previously unknown to science.

A Distinct North African Genetic Lineage

The genome study indicates that these ancient individuals were genetically distinct from both sub-Saharan African and Eurasian populations, highlighting the presence of a divergent North African ancestry that played a key role in regional prehistory.

Interestingly, the DNA revealed no signs of gene flow from neighboring populations at the time, pointing to prolonged genetic isolation. The Takarkori individuals were found to be closely related to Taforalt Cave populations in Morocco, associated with the Iberomaurusian culture, yet showed ten times less Neanderthal ancestry than Neolithic European farmers, though still higher than present-day sub-Saharan Africans.

Implications for Human Evolution and African Prehistory

These findings not only reshape our understanding of North African population history but also affirm the Sahara’s significance as a center of human innovation and adaptation. The presence of pastoralism and sustained cultural development in this green Sahara suggests early and independent evolution of agricultural practices.

The study reinforces the idea that climate change shaped migration, culture, and genetic diversity, and it opens new avenues for uncovering Africa’s pivotal role in human evolution.

Ongoing excavations in the region may continue to bridge critical gaps in the story of human origins, offering clues to how ancient populations adapted to dramatic environmental transformations in one of the world’s most extreme regions.