Document type
ArticleVersion
Published versionPublication date
Publication license
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/43562
North African populations carry the signature of admixture with Neandertals
Journal Title
Director/Tutor
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Related resource
Abstract
One of the main findings derived from the analysis of the Neandertal genome was the evidence for admixture between Neandertals and non-African modern humans. An alternative scenario is that the ancestral population of non-Africans was closer to Neandertals than to Africans because of ancient population substructure. Thus, the study of North African populations is crucial for testing both hypotheses. We analyzed a total of 780,000 SNPs in 125 individuals representing seven different North African locations and searched for their ancestral/derived state in comparison to different human populations and Neandertals. We found that North African populations have a significant excess of derived alleles shared with Neandertals, when compared to sub-Saharan Africans. This excess is similar to that found in non-African humans, a fact that can be interpreted as a sign of Neandertal admixture. Furthermore, the Neandertal's genetic signal is higher in populations with a local, pre-Neolithic North African ancestry. Therefore, the detected ancient admixture is not due to recent Near Eastern or European migrations. Sub-Saharan populations are the only ones not affected by the admixture event with Neandertals.
Subject (English)
Citation
Citation
SÁNCHEZ QUINTO, Federico, et al. North African populations carry the signature of admixture with Neandertals. PLoS One. 2012. Vol. 7, num. 10, pags. e47765. ISSN 1932-6203. [consulted: 19 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/43562