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Ancient Teeth Hint at Canoodling Between Early Human Relatives
Researchers found enamel proteins in six H. erectus teeth that carry a Denisovan-linked variant, suggesting interbreeding across ancient human lineages.
- Researchers led by palaeogeneticist Qiaomei Fu at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing analyzed enamel proteins from six H. erectus teeth recovered across China, all dating to around 400,000 years ago.
- The analysis revealed two key protein mutations, including one unique to East Asian populations of the species that differentiates them from other human relatives, according to findings published in Nature.
- A second mutation appears in Denisovans, an extinct cousin group, indicating that East Asian members of the species likely passed the variant through interbreeding with this population.
- Anthropologist John Hawks at the University of Wisconsin-Madison called the consistency of results across specimens 'very cool,' while researchers noted the findings help clarify murky evolutionary relationships.
- Study author Fu emphasized that researchers need more DNA and fossil material to fully determine how this predecessor relates to other humans, sharpening the evolutionary record.
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The work reveals genetic clues about the human ancestor Homo erectus.The researchers extracted ancient proteins from fossilized tooth enamel.
·Buenos Aires, Argentina
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400,000-Year-Old Proteins Reveal a Surprise Twist in The Human Family Tree
The hominin family tree is more like a complicated, tangled bramble. Homo sapiens is the only member of the genus left today, but in millennia past, the world was inhabited by multiple related Homo species – including the Neanderthals, Homo erectus, and Homo habilis, and traces of a mysterious group known as the Denisovans. In recent years, evidence has emerged that these populations did not live in isolation. Multiple overlapping human groups r…
·Australia
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Leaning Left15Leaning Right2Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution54% Left
Bias Distribution
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54% Left
L 54%
C 39%
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