Did Homo erectus and Denisovans mate? Tooth proteins hint at ancient trysts

"It is well known that human relatives interbred: Homo sapiens with Neanderthals, Neanderthals with Denisovans, Denisovans with Homo sapiens. Now there is evidence for another ancient tryst, between Denisovans and Homo erectus. That's according to an analysis of ancient proteins extracted from the teeth of six H. erectus individuals that lived in China 400,000 years ago."

"The work, published in Nature today, is the first genetic evidence of the pairing. Homo erectus played a pivotal part in human history. The species lived over a period from 1.9 million to just 100,000 years ago, a time when Neanderthals, their relatives the Denisovans, and early modern humans all roamed the Earth."

"Genetic data have been obtained from just a single H. erectus specimen from Georgia, dating to 1.8 million years ago. But researchers were unable to identify any unique genetic variants that might distinguish H. erectus from other human relatives. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing."

"In China, researchers have found H. erectus remains of varying ages at more than a dozen sites, creating a potential treasure trove for uncovering genetic data for the species. For the new work, Qiaomei Fu, a palaeogeneticist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, and her colleagues focused on teeth from three of those sites."

Human relatives interbred across multiple lineages, including Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans. New evidence indicates another pairing between Denisovans and Homo erectus. The finding comes from analysis of ancient proteins extracted from teeth of six Homo erectus individuals that lived in China about 400,000 years ago. The work is described as the first genetic evidence for this pairing. Homo erectus existed from roughly 1.9 million to about 100,000 years ago and was the first human relative to leave Africa and spread into Eurasia, reaching as far as Java. Prior genetic data from a single Georgia specimen did not reveal unique variants distinguishing Homo erectus from other relatives. Multiple Chinese sites with Homo erectus remains offer potential for further genetic study.

Read at www.nature.com