People who live in some of the most extreme places for life, such as the Himalayas or near the Arctic Circle, are more resilient than others, probably thanks to their Denisovan genes. Recent research from the University of Dublin delved into mixing events between ancient Homo sapiens and the enigmatic Denisova hominid. The union contributed to the formation of the modern human being.
The discovery of Denisova man is one of the most significant contributions to anthropology in recent decades. It is part of the long list of hominids that inhabited the Earth hundreds of thousands of years ago. Like the Neanderthal and the Homo sapiensDenisova man shares a common ancestor, but has characteristics different from all others.
The Denisovans are a mystery. For now, anthropology only knows for sure that they lived in caves in the high mountains of Siberia and, more recently, Tibet. Even its acceptance as a species is still debated. The fossil record of Denisova man only consists of a finger bone, a jaw, teeth and skull fragments. Although the remains are few compared to other hominids, they are enough to estimate that they constituted another family.
The genetic contributions of Denisova man
A recent work from the University of Dublin and published in Nature Genetics compiles available information on the Denisovans. suggests that a part of their genes has survived until today due to certain mixing events between species. The descent between Homo sapiens and other hominids is confirmed. The most documented of this process of interbreeding is that of Neanderthals in several waves.
There were at least three major bonding events between Denisovans and Homo sapiens strong enough to leave marks in the DNA of the remains. According to the article, there is evidence that a portion of those Denisovan adaptations to extreme circumstances conferred some advantages to contemporary humans.
“There is a genetic locus that confers tolerance to hypoxia, or low oxygen conditions, which makes a lot of sense since it is observed in Tibetan populations; multiple genes that confer greater immunity; and one that impacts lipid metabolism, providing heat when stimulated by cold, which confers an advantage to Inuit populations in the Arctic,” explained Dr. Linda Ongaro, co-author of the research.
Anthropologists say that thinking that modern humans descend directly from Homo sapiens It’s a mistake. Although this hominid was the fittest of its time and contributed to the extinction of other species, the formation of today’s people is the result of multiple waves of mixing over millennia.
“There are numerous future directions for research that will help us tell a more complete story of how Denisovans impacted modern humans, including more detailed genetic analyzes in understudied populations, which could reveal currently hidden traces of Denisovan ancestry. Also, integrating more genetic data with archaeological information, if we can find more Denisovan fossils, would certainly fill in some more gaps,” says Ongaro.
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