Members of the San and Khoe Indigenous populations of southern Africa can still trace much of their genetic ancestry back to prehistorical hunter - gatherers who live in the region 10,000 years ago . accord to the author of a new study , this degree of genetic persistence over multiple millennia is “ exceptional in the global archaeogenetic book . ”
The research worker contact this astonishing conclusion after sequencing the genome of nine ancient individual inhume at the Oakhurst rock shelter , near the city of George in the Western Cape . Dated to between 10,000 and 1,300 age ago , these long - dead bushman provide a “ metre transect ” of the genetic changes that occurred in the sphere from the other Holocene to the remnant of the Stone Age .
Incredibly , the honest-to-goodness somebody included in the study “ showed a genetic make - up undistinguishable from the later inhabitants of Oakhurst rock shelter , ” suggesting that the local gene pond remained unaltered by international lineages for a period of around 9,000 yr . foreground the uniqueness of these findings , study author Joscha Gretzinger explained in astatementthat " similar study from Europe have revealed a history of big - scale genetic changes due to human movements over the last 10,000 years . These new resultant from southernmost Africa are quite different , and paint a picture a long history of relative genetic stability . "
In their write - up , the researchers excuse that the territorial dominion occupied by the southernSanand Khoe people throughout the Holocene differs from most other area on Earth in that it does n’t seem to have know multiple wave of migration , genetic mix , and replacement of ancient filiation . However , they go on to say that this rarefied period of continuity finish “ rather abruptly ” as pastoralists and farmers from East and West Africa started transmigrate to Southern Africa around 1,300 years ago .
As a result of this influx , all modernSan and Khoegroups derive at least nine percent of their genic heritage from beginning originating outside of South Africa , Namibia , and Botswana . Despite this , however , the research worker explain that some southerly San stay directly related to the 10,000 - class - previous residents of Oakhurst , and continue to save the “ ancient , Pleistocene epoch - derived genetic signature ” of these other - Holocene antecedent .
“ specially among the ‡Khomani , Karretjiemense and Nama , who belong to the most admixed San / Khoe chemical group in southern Africa , some individuals still trace most of their lineage back to these [ Later Stone Age]hunter - collector , ” publish the study authors .
The field is issue in the journalNature Ecology & Evolution .
