Long before the Sahara became the world's largest hot desert, it was a thriving green savannah rich with lakes and life. New DNA research from 7,000-year-old remains found at Libya's Takarkori rock shelter has revealed a mysterious, isolated human lineage that once called the "Green Sahara" home.

These naturally mummified pastoralist women belonged to a unique North African population genetically cut off from sub-Saharan, European, and Near Eastern groups for millennia.

Their ancestry traces back to a lineage that split from other African groups around 50,000 years ago, surviving untouched by later migrations.

Despite practicing animal husbandry - a cultural practice from outside Africa - they remained genetically distinct. Their isolation ended as the African Humid Period faded, turning the Sahara into an arid desert once more around 3,000 BC. Yet, fragments of their genetic legacy live on in today's North African populations, offering a profound glimpse into humanity's ancient past.