The south Congo Basin was critical to Bantu settlement of south central Africa
Jérémy Choin, Kathryn M. de Luna, Jeffrey Fleisher, Elizabeth Sawchuk, Steven T. Goldstein, Potiphar M. Kaliba, Maggie Katongo, Alan G. Morris, George Mudenda, Menno Welling, Kendra A. Sirak, Kimberly A. Callan, Lora Iliev, Ann Marie Lawson, Megan Michel, , David Reich
The study analyzes ancient DNA from Iron Age and historical individuals in Zambia and Malawi to reveal multiple Bantu migrations into south central Africa, with genetic continuity from Later Stone Age foragers.
bioRxiv · Aug 19, 2026 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology