( CNN ) -- Scientists examining the 7,000-year-old remains of a hunter-gatherer found in Spain have discovered that African versions of pigmentation genes determined his skin color , but that he had blue eyes now associated with northern Europeans . Baptized `` La Brana 1 '' by scientists -- after the La Brana-Arintero site where his remains were found -- the man lived during the Mesolithic period , which lasted from 10,000 to 5,000 years ago . The Mesolithic hunter-gather period was followed by the Neolithic period and the advent of farming . As a result , La Brana 1 's diet differed from Neolithic man , and researchers said he had been lactose intolerant . `` The biggest surprise was to discover that this individual possessed African versions in the genes that determine the light pigmentation of the current Europeans , which indicates that he had dark skin , although we can not know the exact shade , '' researcher Carles Lalueza-Fox from the Spanish National Research Council ( CSIC ) said . `` Even more surprising was to find that he possessed the genetic variations that produce blue eyes in current Europeans , resulting in a unique phenotype in a genome that is otherwise clearly northern European . '' A genome is the full map of an individual 's DNA . La Brana 1 's closest modern descendants , in genetic terms , live in northern Europe in places like Sweden and Finland . The research -- carried out by the CSIC in partnership with Denmark 's Centre for GeoGenetics -- has been published in the scientific journal `` Nature . '' Manuel Vidal Encinas , archaeologist of the Council of Castilla y Leon , found and excavated the La Brana-Arintero site , near Leon , in 2006 . Scientists said the cave is located in a cold mountainous area with a steady temperature -- conditions that contributed to the `` exceptional '' preservation of the DNA of La Brana 1 and the remains of another individual found there . Researchers say they will now try to recover the genome of the second set of remains , which were not as well preserved .
Remains of two people from Mesolithic period were found in Spain in 2006 . Scientists analyze one of their genomes , found he had blue eyes and dark skin . La Brana 1 's closest modern descendants , in genetic terms , live in northern Europe . Scientists plan to analyze second individual 's remains , which less well preserved .