Working toward a synthesis of archaeological, linguistic, and genetic data for inferring African population history

Abstract

Although Africa is the origin of modern humans, the pattern and distribution of genetic variation and correlations with cultural and linguistic diversity in Africa have been understudied. Recent advances in genomic technology, however, have led to genomewide studies of African samples. In this article, we discuss genetic variation in African populations contextualized with what is known about archaeological and linguistic variation. What emerges from this review is the importance of using independent lines of evidence in the interpretation of genetic and genomic data in the reconstruction of past population histories.

Effect of ancient population structure on the degree of polymorphism shared between modern human populations and ancient hominins

“…Despite both archaeological (27,28) and genetic evidence (28)(29)(30)(31)(32) for ancient population structure in Africa, none of the genetic models used so far to study the geographic patterns of similarity has incorporated structure in Africa. Currat and Excoffier (5) used a spatial framework to investigate admixture with Neanderthals, but concentrated on the role of gene surfing during the expansion wave in affecting the distribution of polymorphisms unique to Neanderthals across Eurasia, provided admixture did happen.…”

The Fulani are not from the Middle East

“…M2, and M33 predominate (5), and not Eurasian markers as maintained in the paper by Scheinfeldt et al (1).…”

“…Granted, analyses of the Fulani mtDNA and Y chromosome markers include some Eurasian genetics, but African genetic markers predominate among the Fulani (4,5). The archaeogenetic and linguistic data make it clear that the Fulani are not of Eurasian origin as suggested by Scheinfeldt et al (1).…”

Reply to Winters: The origins of the Fulani remain unknown

“…data demonstrate that the Fulani, who form a distinct population cluster, are more closely related to Chadic-and Central Sudanicspeaking African populations than to other Niger-Kordofanian speakers, although they clearly have high levels of NigerKordofanian ancestry and low levels of Eurasian ancestry (1,6). This pattern is unusual given that most of the African populations included in our sample cluster by linguistic affinity (1).…”

“…However, as we and others have discussed (1,6), there has been detectible gene flow between the Fulani and other African populations, including Niger-Kordofanian speakers, Nilo-Saharan speakers, and Afroasiatic speakers, and with Eurasians. What emerges from this discussion is that the population history of the Fulani is complex, and further work is required to disentangle the past population demographics of the Fulani (6).…”