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VOL.463 NO.7283 DATED 18 FEBRUARY 2010
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Genomes: Comparing southern African sequences (pp 943-947)
The complete genome sequences of an indigenous hunter-gatherer from Namibia’s Kalahari Desert and of a Bantu from southern Africa are presented in this week’s Nature. Alongside these genomes are presented the sequences of the protein-coding regions from three other hunter-gatherer groups from the Kalahari.
Stephan Schuster and colleagues used new techniques to sequence the genomes of four Bushmen — tribal elders each approximately 80 years old— and a Bantu — Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who has pastoralist Tswana and Nguni ancestry and is an ideal representative for many southern Africans.
In terms of nucleotide substitutions, the Bushmen seem to be more different from each other than a typical Asian and European. Analysis of genetic variance in this lineage will contribute to understanding human diversity, and facilitate the inclusion of southern Africans in medical genomics research projects. The authors believe that these genome sequences will enable future studies into the much debated question of whether population replacement, rather than cultural exchange, has driven the expansion of agriculture in the southern regions of Africa.
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