Scientists have successfully extracted and analyzed ancient DNA from 2,500-year-old remains associated with the Nok culture in central Nigeria. The study, published in PNAS, provides the first genetic evidence of the population movements that accompanied the transition from the Late Stone Age to the Iron Age in West Africa.
The results indicate that the Nok people were the result of a local genetic fusion between Saharan migrants fleeing desertification and indigenous forest-dwelling groups. This genetic admixture coincides perfectly with the sudden appearance of sophisticated terracotta art and iron-smelting technology in the region, offering a new biological timeline for one of Africa's most enigmatic early civilizations.