Ancient DNA sheds light on origins of 7,000-year-old Saharan mummies ethena Today, the view from the Takarkori rock shelter in southwestern Libya is of endless sandy dunes and barren rock, but 7,000 years ago, this region of the Sahara Desert was a far lusher, hospitable place.

Now, scientists aiming to understand the origins of inhabitants of the “green Sahara” say they have managed to recover the first whole genomes — detailed genetic information — from the remains of two women buried at Takarkori. In the distant past, the area was a verdant savanna with trees, permanent lakes and rivers that supported large animals such as hippopotamuses and elephants.

It was also home to early human communities, including 15 women and children archaeologists found buried at the rock shelter, that lived off fish and herded sheep and goats.

“We started with these two (skeletons) because they are very well-preserved — the skin, ligaments, tissues,” said Savino di Lernia, coauthor of the new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

The findings mark the first time archaeologists have managed to sequence whole genomes from human remains found in such a hot and arid environment, said di Lernia, an associate professor of African archaeology and ethnoarchaeology at Sapienza University of Rome.

The genomic analysis yielded surprises for the study team, revealing that the inhabitants of the green Sahara were a previously unknown and long-isolated population that had likely occupied the region for tens of thousands of years.