Denisovans – Three distinct lineages including possible New Species?
by Michael Pawloski (YouTube)
According to the article, Denisovans interbred with modern humans in two distinct waves, causing there to be 3 variations. The two additional waves were found in East Asia and Papua New Guinea/ South Asia. This research has implications for the healthcare of the people as most anthropological research is focused in the West, the article would go on.
“A new DNA analysis of 161 modern human genomes spanning islands across Southeast Asia and New Guinea suggests the Denisovans, an elusive early hominin species identified in 2010, boasted a far more complex family tree than once believed. As a team of international researchers report in the journal Cell, the human cousins currently labeled as Denisovans comprised at least three diverse populations—including a lineage so distinct that it may even constitute an entirely separate species.”
Of particular interest to Subspeciest.com readers:
“The second lineage had more limited genetic ties with the Denisovan specimens known to science and carried DNA evident in Papua New Guineans and South Asians.”
Read more: Smithsonianmag.com
(Photo – Dr. John Hawks, Univ. of Wisconsin, frequent lecturer on Denisovans and Neanderthals, and a favorite of this site. His weblog here.)
From Twitter:
Multiple Denisovan-related ancestries in Papuans #Denisovans #Papua #genetics https://t.co/kyQ3Ljjiyk pic.twitter.com/rx9qkirYSG
— ClassiCult (@ClassiCultit) April 16, 2019