Near Oceania’s Ancient Genome: Denisovan Heritage Deep in Pacific DNA

Researchers sequenced 177 high-coverage genomes from 12 Near Oceanian populations and found that this region harbors some of the oldest human DNA, including a rich Denisovan legacy from at least three Denisovan-like groups. Near Oceanian genomes contain about 2.5 times more archaic DNA than Europeans and far more Denisovan DNA than East Asians, with high-frequency archaic variants linked to immunity and skeletal development, suggesting multiple interbreeding events and adaptive benefits. The findings reshape our understanding of Denisovans and human evolution and have implications for medical research in Oceanian populations.