Denisovans interbred with early humans many times and left behind genes that helped modern humans adapt to different environments such as highlands and cold climates. Scientists believe that members of the recently discovered hominin group known as Denisovans interbred with early humans during many different events and passed on genes that influenced the course of early human history.

In 2010, the first draft of the Neanderthal genome was published, and comparisons with modern human genomes showed that Neanderthals and modern humans interbred in the past. A few months later, genome analysis of a finger bone excavated in Denisova Cave in Siberia’s Altai Mountains revealed that the bone fragment came from a newly discovered group of hominins we now call Denisovans that also interbred with modern humans.

D., a PhD student at the School of Genetics and Microbiology at Trinity College Dublin and first author of an exciting new review article published in a leading journal. “This was one of the most exciting discoveries in human evolution in the last decade,” said Linda Ongaro. international magazine Nature. genetic.

“It is a common misconception that humans evolved suddenly and orderly from a single common ancestor, but the more we learn, the more we realize that interbreeding with different hominids did occur and helped shape the humans we are today.

“Unlike Neanderthal remains, the Denisov fossil record consists only of fragments of finger bones, jaws, teeth and skulls. However, using preserved parts of the Denisov region in the genome of modern humans, scientists have discovered that the fossil record of Denisov people is the most likely to occur as a result of the penetration of genes from different populations of Denisov people into the genetic signatures of modern humans.” They found evidence of at least three past incidents.”

Complex genetic links between Denisovans and humans

Each shows varying levels of relatedness to the sequential Altai Denisovan, indicating a complex relationship between these sister lineages. In a review paper, Dr Ongaro and Professor Emilia Huerta-Sanchez present evidence that many populations of Denisovans, which probably had a wide geographical range from Siberia to Southeast Asia and Oceania to South America, adapted to different environments.

They go on to outline a set of genes of Denisovan origin that provide advantages to modern humans in a variety of environments.

Dr. Ongaro added: “Among these is a genetic locus that confers tolerance to hypoxia or low oxygen conditions; This makes sense because it is seen in Tibetan populations; a large number of genes that provide increased immunity; and affects lipid metabolism by providing warmth when stimulated by cold, something that favors Inuit populations in the Arctic.

“There are many future research directions that will help us tell a more comprehensive story of how Denisovan influenced modern humans, including more detailed genetic analyzes that could reveal currently hidden traces of Denisovan ancestry in understudied populations. Additionally, more “Combining genetic data with archaeological information (if we can find more Denisovan fossils) will certainly fill in a few more gaps.”