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Denisovans

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Ancient tooth proteins reveal Homo erectus left a genetic fingerprint in today’s humans
science7 days ago

Ancient tooth proteins reveal Homo erectus left a genetic fingerprint in today’s humans

Proteomic analysis of 400,000-year-old Homo erectus teeth uncovers a unique amino‑acid variant shared with Denisovans and present in modern SE Asian and Oceanian populations (about 21% in the Philippines, ~1% in India), suggesting interbreeding and a mosaic ancestry rather than a single lineage. The study highlights how paleoproteomics can reveal genetic connections from old hominin lineages and points to a broader pattern of admixture among ancient humans.

via The Conversation|
#archaic-introgression#denisovans#homo-erectus
Enamel clues link Homo erectus to Denisovans in a web-like human tree
science12 days ago

Enamel clues link Homo erectus to Denisovans in a web-like human tree

Scientists extracted ancient enamel proteins from six Homo erectus teeth found in three sites in China (about 400,000 years old) using a new, minimally invasive enamel-etching technique. They identified two shared amino acid variants, one of which also appears in Denisovans and some modern humans, suggesting interbreeding between Homo erectus, Denisovans, and Homo sapiens and supporting a networked view of human evolution. The study relied on proteins (not DNA) and analyzed teeth from Hexian and Zhoukoudian, with five males and one female identified, highlighting open questions about how these populations relate to each other.

via CNN|
#ancient-proteins#denisovans#hominin-interbreeding
Enamel proteins link six Chinese H. erectus to Denisovan gene flow
science12 days ago

Enamel proteins link six Chinese H. erectus to Denisovan gene flow

Ancient enamel proteomics recovered endogenous proteins from six Middle Pleistocene Homo erectus teeth across northern and southern China (~0.4 Ma) and a Denisovan tooth. The study identifies two AMBN variants: a novel AMBN A253G found in all six H. erectus samples and not in other hominins, and AMBN M273V shared with Denisovans, suggesting Denisovans may have inherited this region from an H. erectus–related population. The results imply interactions between East Asian H. erectus populations and Denisovans and support the idea that H. erectus contributed to Denisovan DNA, with some signals ultimately reaching modern humans via introgression. Phylogenetic analyses cluster the H. erectus samples together, illustrating the power of enamel proteomics to illuminate deep human evolution and population diversity in East Asia.

via Nature|
#denisovans#east-asia#homo-erectus
Dirt DNA reshapes the story of human origins
science2 months ago

Dirt DNA reshapes the story of human origins

Sedimentary DNA—DNA preserved in soils and sediments—is revolutionizing how we study human origins, enabling detection of Neanderthal, Denisovan, and early Homo DNA even where bones aren’t found. Since the 2017 breakthrough identifying ancient human DNA in ice-age soils, researchers have used targeted probes to enrich nuclear DNA and shotgun methods to extract DNA from cave sediments, pushing back timelines at sites like Denisova Cave and Baishiya Karst Cave. While mtDNA remains easier to recover and informative about lineages, nuclear DNA offers deeper population history but is rare and data-limited, requiring careful analysis to avoid contamination. Overall, dirt could complement or even replace some fossil work, opening a vast “blue ocean” of information about our past.

via Nature|
#ancientdna#denisovans#humanorigins
China as a crossroad reshapes the early Homo story with new lineages
science2 months ago

China as a crossroad reshapes the early Homo story with new lineages

New fossils and analyses from China indicate eastern Asia played a central role in Homo evolution over the past 2 million years, with Denisovan-related fossils reclassified as Homo juluensis and Homo longi, and Yunxian 2 suggesting an early Homo sapiens divergence; China is portrayed as a dynamic crossroad where multiple Homo lineages interacted and admixed, shaping a diverse regional mosaic.

via Nature|
#denisovans#east-asia#homo-juluensis
Denisovan Jawbone Off Taiwan Expands Our View of Ancient Humans
science3 months ago

Denisovan Jawbone Off Taiwan Expands Our View of Ancient Humans

A Denisovan jawbone found 60–120 meters deep off the coast of Taiwan and identified using paleoproteomics confirms Denisovans’ presence in warmer coastal Asia and suggests they thrived in diverse environments beyond Siberia. Dating is uncertain, estimated between 10,000 and 190,000 years ago, highlighting their adaptability and potential interactions with other hominins.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#denisovans#human-evolution#jawbone
Unveiling the Face of Humanity's Greatest Evolutionary Mystery
science5 months ago

Unveiling the Face of Humanity's Greatest Evolutionary Mystery

In 2025, significant progress was made in understanding human evolution, particularly through the genetic analysis of fossils like the Dragon Man skull, which has been linked to Denisovans, revealing new insights into ancient human species and their interbreeding with modern humans. Additional discoveries, including a high-coverage Denisovan genome from a 200,000-year-old tooth, are expected to further unravel the complex history of human ancestry in the coming years.

via CNN|
#denisovans#dragon-man#fossil-dna