Did they discover another descendant of homo erectus?

[fresh_42]

TL;DR

A long isolated human lineage existed in North Africa.

The study provides critical new insights into the African Humid Period, a time between 14,500 and 5,000 years ago when the Sahara desert was a green savanna, rich in water bodies that facilitated human habitation and the spread of pastoralism. Later aridification turned this region into the world's largest desert. Due to the extreme aridity of the region today, DNA preservation is poor, making this pioneering ancient DNA study all the more significant.

Genomic analyses reveal that the ancestry of the Takarkori rock shelter individuals primarily derives from a North African lineage that diverged from sub-Saharan African populations at about the same time as the modern human lineages that spread outside of Africa around 50,000 years ago. The newly described lineage remained isolated, revealing deep genetic continuity in North Africa during the late Ice Age. While this lineage no longer exists in unadmixed form, this ancestry is still a central genetic component of present-day North African people, highlighting their unique heritage.

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To the point​

• DNA analysis from two naturally mummified individuals from Libya: More than 7,000 years ago, during the so-called African Humid Period (Green Sahara), a long isolated human lineage existed in North Africa.
• Limited gene flow: The genomes do not carry sub-Saharan African ancestry, suggesting that, contrary to previous interpretations, the Green Sahara was not a migration corridor between Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa. The spread of migratory herding in the Green Sahara probably occurred through cultural exchange.
• Neandertal genetic traces: The ancient individuals had significantly less Neandertal DNA compared to people outside Africa, indicating a largely isolated North African population.

Source: https://www.mpg.de/24407329/0328-ev...mes-from-the-green-sahara-deciphered-150495-x

 

[sbrothy]

As usual I admit to being way in over my head but this seems to be same just from another angle (same date and people as yours):

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08793-7 (02 April 2025)

A previous study13 analysed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from individuals recovered from the Takarkori rock shelter in the Tadrart Acacus Mountains of southwestern Libya—the same individuals examined in this study—providing the first ancient DNA from pastoralists of the Green Sahara. However, non-recombining and therefore effectively single genetic loci like mtDNA have much less statistical power to reveal population dynamics than genome-wide autosomal data. Their origins and whether the arrival of pastoralism into the Green Sahara was linked to the movement of peoples from the Levant or rather cultural diffusion remain a matter of debate

Bold is mine.

 

[sbrothy]

Exciting, but heavy stuff indeed.