A large-scale genomic study in Science Advances has mapped the deep ancestry of the Middle Zambezi valley. By sequencing 10,000-year-old human remains, researchers identified a previously unknown migration pulse of hunter-gatherers carrying specific genetic variants associated with resistance to Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness).
This genetic 'ghost lineage' appears to have diverged early in the Holocene and occupied the tsetse-fly-infested regions of Southern Africa that were avoided by later pastoralist groups. The research highlights how ancient human movements in Africa were often dictated by the genomic battle against parasitic diseases, reshaping our understanding of the continent's genetic diversity and the environmental barriers to early settlement.