Neanderthal-Denisovan ancestors interbred with a distantly related hominin

Rogers, Alan R.; Harris, Nathan; Achenbach, Alan

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aay5483

Cited by 54 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Morphologically the pedal phalanx of this Altai Neanderthal female Denisova 5 was closest to the Shanidar-4 Neanderthal, and the anatomically modern human Tianyuan 1 [Mednikova, 2011b]. These results are broadly consistent with later genetic analysis, which found that a population that diverged early on from modern humans in Africa contributed genetically to the ancestors of Altai Neanderthals roughly 100,000 years ago [Kuhlwilm et al, 2016;Rogers et al, 2020].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Distal manual phalanges of Upper Pleistocene Homo from Altai caves

Mednikova¹

2020

MUAB

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DISTAL MANUAL PHALANGES OF UPPER PLEISTOCENE HOMO FROM ALTAI CAVES Introduction. The paper comprises a comparative morphological study of the distal manual phalanges of the second to fifth rays of fossil inhabitants of the Altai Mountains. Based on previous study, this region is expected to be a contact zone between Denisovans and Neanderthals. The goal of the study. We tested a hypothesis about the presence in the Pleistocene Altai of hominids of differing origin and, in particular, the existence of distinctive morphological variants among Neanderthal settlers of Altai. Material and methods. Manual distal phalanges from excavations in caves Denisova, Chagyrskaya and Strashnaya were measured, X-ray filmed and scanned before sampling for ancient DNA extraction. Scanning was performed using an X-ray microscope, whose imaging resolution is sufficient to combine traditional radiological methods with non-destructive microscopy. Results. Our results show high morphological diversity among the Upper Pleistocene population. Three of four studied samples were identified as Neanderthals (Denisova 9, male (?), Chagyrskaya 08 and 56, females) by long, wide and flat diaphysis, and a wide and rounded apical tuft.The phalanx Strashnaya 4 features anatomically modern traits and does not correspond to Neanderthal specimens in proportions or dimensions. It is short with relatively narrow and tall diaphysis. Modern techniques of radiological investigation reveal two different morphological variants present in Altai Neanderthals from Denisova and Chagyrskaya. Phalanges show substantial changes in internal structure. In the distal half of Denisova 9, the space of the medullary canal was fully displaced by osteonised tissue, resembling a variant of the "ivory" epiphyses-in particular distributed among modern humans of African ancestry. Denisova 9 joins with the modern human Strashnaya 4 by high corticalisation at the midshaft (%CA 92,85 and 82,61correspodingly). Chagyrskaya 08 and 56 are thin-walled (%CA 58,77 and 30,88). Non-destructive radiological microscopy revealed further differences among the samples: greater and denser bone mass in the case of Strashnaya 4, low mineralised compact of all Neanderthals. Conclusion. The data may indicate the presence among Altai groups of Neanderthals who differed by origin, and/or chronologically. Patterns of Denisova 9 can be discussed in the context of his hybrid ancestry.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Distal manual phalanges of Upper Pleistocene Homo from Altai caves

Mednikova¹

2020

MUAB

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“…The equivocal support for H. erectus budding and the phylogeographic patterns revealed in later hominins further underscore the need for examination at lower taxonomic scales than is typically undertaken. Overall, the picture of hominin evolution presented here represents an alignment of phylogenetic results with the heterogeneous geographic patterns observed in H. erectus and early African H. sapiens (Baab 2011, Hublin et al 2017 and the complicated network of genetic interactions (Green et al 2010, Kuhlwilm et al 2016, Villanea and Schraiber 2019, Rogers et al 2020 toward a deeper statistical understanding of the complexity in evolutionary and demographic patterns between hominin populations throughout the Pleistocene.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 70%

Morphological and phylogeographic evidence for budding speciation: an example in hominins

Parins‐Fukuchi

2020

Preprint

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Parametric phylogenetic approaches that attempt to delineate between distinct 'modes' of speciation (splitting cladogenesis, budding cladogenesis, and anagenesis) between fossil taxa have become increasingly popular among comparative biologists. But it is not yet well-understood how clearly limited morphological data from fossil taxa speak to detailed questions of speciation mode as compared to the lineage diversification models that serve as their basis. In addition, the congruence of inferences made using these approaches with geographic patterns has not been explored. Here, I extend a previously introduced maximum-likelihood approach for the examination of ancestor-descendant relationships to accommodate budding speciation and apply it to a dataset of fossil hominins. I place these results in a phylogeographic context to better understand spatial dynamics underlying the hypothesized speciation patterns. Finally, I determine whether instances of budding are driven by morphological versus stratigraphic evidence, or both. The spatial patterns implied by the phylogeny hint at the complex demographic processes underlying the spread and diversification of hominins throughout the Pleistocene. I also find that inferences of budding are driven primarily by stratigraphic, versus morphological, data and discuss the ramifications for interpretations of speciation process in hominins specifically and from phylogenetic data in general.

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“…Understanding the admixture between different hominin species (e.g. genetic relationship between Neanderthals and Denisovans) 24 .…”

Section: Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ancient DNA and paleogenetics: risks and potentiality

Gaeta

2021

Pathologica

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Summary Paleopathology, the science that studies the diseases of the past, has always been addressed to the future in the use of new diagnostic methods. One of its relatively recent branches is paleogenetics, which is the study of genetic material from the past. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA recovered from archaeological and paleontological specimens is called ancient DNA (aDNA), which can be extracted from a large variety of biological materials, of different origin, state of preservation and age, such as bones, teeth, coprolites, mummified tissues and hairs. There are many applications for ancient DNA research in the field of archaeology and paleopathology: population demography, genealogy, disease studies, archaeological reconstruction of plant vegetation, calibration of the molecular clock, phylogenetic relationship between different mammals and interpretation of the paleoclimate. However, the study of ancient genetic material is extremely difficult due to its poor quality and quantity, as well possible contamination with modern DNA. New advanced methods will allow extracting DNA from a greater variety of materials, and improvements in sequencing techniques will unveil data that are currently concealed. The aim of this paper is to provide initial insights into paleogenetics and ancient DNA study and to illustrate the limits, risks and potentiality of the research on the genetic material of ancient specimens, whose results have a strong impact on the present and future medicine.

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Neanderthal-Denisovan ancestors interbred with a distantly related hominin

Cited by 54 publications

References 37 publications

Distal manual phalanges of Upper Pleistocene Homo from Altai caves

Distal manual phalanges of Upper Pleistocene Homo from Altai caves

Morphological and phylogeographic evidence for budding speciation: an example in hominins

Ancient DNA and paleogenetics: risks and potentiality

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