New Genetics Indicates Interbreeding With Other Hominids

[stromboli]

http://www.nature.com/news/mystery-huma ... es-1.14196

New genome sequences from two extinct human relatives suggest that these 'archaic' groups bred with humans and with each other more extensively than was previously known.

The ancient genomes, one from a Neanderthal and one from a different archaic human group, the Denisovans, were presented on 18 November at a meeting at the Royal Society in London. They suggest that interbreeding went on between the members of several ancient human-like groups living in Europe and Asia more than 30,000 years ago, including an as-yet unknown human ancestor from Asia.

"What it begins to suggest is that we're looking at a 'Lord of the Rings'-type world — that there were many hominid populations," says Mark Thomas, an evolutionary geneticist at University College London who was at the meeting but was not involved in the work.

The first Neanderthal1 and the Denisovan2 genome sequences revolutionized the study of ancient human history, not least because they showed that these groups interbred with anatomically modern humans, contributing to the genetic diversity of many people alive today.

All humans whose ancestry originates outside of Africa owe about 2% of their genome to Neanderthals; and certain populations living in Oceania, such as Papua New Guineans and Australian Aboriginals, got about 4% of their DNA from interbreeding between their ancestors and Denisovans, who are named after the cave in Siberia's Altai Mountains where they were discovered. The cave contains remains deposited there between 30,000 and 50,000 years ago.

Those conclusions however were based on low-quality genome sequences, riddled with errors and full of gaps, David Reich, an evolutionary geneticist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts said at the meeting. His team, in collaboration with Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have now produced much more complete versions of the Denisovan and Neanderthal genomes — matching the quality of contemporary human genomes. The high-quality Denisovan genome data and new Neanderthal genome both come from bones recovered from Denisova Cave.

The new Denisovan genome indicates that this enigmatic population got around: Reich said at the meeting that they interbred with Neanderthals and with the ancestors of human populations that now live in China and other parts of East Asia, in addition to Oceanic populations, as his team previously reported. Most surprisingly, Reich said, the new genomes indicate that Denisovans interbred with another extinct population of archaic humans that lived in Asia more than 30,000 years ago, which is neither human nor Neanderthal.

The meeting was abuzz with conjecture about the identity of this potentially new population of humans. "We don't have the faintest idea," says Chris Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at the London Natural History Museum, who was not involved in the work. He speculates that the population could be related to Homo heidelbergensis, a species that left Africa around half a million years ago and later gave rise to Neanderthals in Europe. "Perhaps it lived on in Asia as well," Stringer says.

I knew it. This explains my attraction for Asian women. Most men I know would love a little "strange" pussy on the side.  :-D

[Icarus]

[youtube:3lj9vwjs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsaedqFCo4w[/youtube:3lj9vwjs]

[Solitary]

My son goes with a Chinese girl. But we know these studies are wrong because Adam and Eve were human.  :P  :rollin:  Solitary

[SGOS]

I find such studies of our heritage really interesting.  Our fossil history (actually the fossil history of all living things) is indeed scant, but being able to predict another hominoid yet to be found in a quarry some place is exciting stuff.  Man's existence has been too short to leave much of a fossil history, and what little we know about our ancestors has mostly been understood for just slightly more than my own lifetime.

Maybe we should cut the creationists some slack.  They are only a generation or two behind the curve.  Well, only when understanding human lineage.  We've known about dinosaurs and glaciers for a few generations more than that.

[stromboli]

Cue the "aliens" meme in 3....2....1....

[Solitary]

http://www.nature.com/news/mystery-humans-spiced-up-ancients-rampant-sex-lives-1.14196

New genome sequences from two extinct human relatives suggest that these 'archaic' groups bred with humans and with each other more extensively than was previously known.

The ancient genomes, one from a Neanderthal and one from a different archaic human group, the Denisovans, were presented on 18 November at a meeting at the Royal Society in London. They suggest that interbreeding went on between the members of several ancient human-like groups living in Europe and Asia more than 30,000 years ago, including an as-yet unknown human ancestor from Asia.

"What it begins to suggest is that we're looking at a 'Lord of the Rings'-type world — that there were many hominid populations," says Mark Thomas, an evolutionary geneticist at University College London who was at the meeting but was not involved in the work.

The first Neanderthal1 and the Denisovan2 genome sequences revolutionized the study of ancient human history, not least because they showed that these groups interbred with anatomically modern humans, contributing to the genetic diversity of many people alive today.

All humans whose ancestry originates outside of Africa owe about 2% of their genome to Neanderthals; and certain populations living in Oceania, such as Papua New Guineans and Australian Aboriginals, got about 4% of their DNA from interbreeding between their ancestors and Denisovans, who are named after the cave in Siberia's Altai Mountains where they were discovered. The cave contains remains deposited there between 30,000 and 50,000 years ago.

Those conclusions however were based on low-quality genome sequences, riddled with errors and full of gaps, David Reich, an evolutionary geneticist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts said at the meeting. His team, in collaboration with Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have now produced much more complete versions of the Denisovan and Neanderthal genomes — matching the quality of contemporary human genomes. The high-quality Denisovan genome data and new Neanderthal genome both come from bones recovered from Denisova Cave.

The new Denisovan genome indicates that this enigmatic population got around: Reich said at the meeting that they interbred with Neanderthals and with the ancestors of human populations that now live in China and other parts of East Asia, in addition to Oceanic populations, as his team previously reported. Most surprisingly, Reich said, the new genomes indicate that Denisovans interbred with another extinct population of archaic humans that lived in Asia more than 30,000 years ago, which is neither human nor Neanderthal.

The meeting was abuzz with conjecture about the identity of this potentially new population of humans. "We don't have the faintest idea," says Chris Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at the London Natural History Museum, who was not involved in the work. He speculates that the population could be related to Homo heidelbergensis, a species that left Africa around half a million years ago and later gave rise to Neanderthals in Europe. "Perhaps it lived on in Asia as well," Stringer says.

I knew it. This explains my attraction for Asian women. Most men I know would love a little "strange" pussy on the side.  :-D

And your calloused attitude toward other sentient creatures shows proof that humans bred with Neanderthals.  :P  Solitary

[Hijiri Byakuren]

Cue the "aliens" meme in 3....2....1....

[stromboli]

Thank you.

[darsenfeld]

It's been long established that Europeans on average have 2% Neandertheal DNA.

And they recently discovered a 300,000 year old y chromosome in a man with Cameroonian ancestry, so early homo sapiens must have mated with archaic homo sapiens, or at the least have been living alongside archaic homo sapiens for some time in Africa.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I kind of doubt it was soft, romantic love in most cases,  but brutal rape. I'm only basing that on the behavior of many men today and 10000 years or however long ago it was they probably fucked sheep  too.
Bahahaha!  :shock:

[darsenfeld]

So yes, morals don't differ from time to time and place to place.  And homo heidelbergensis was capable of our moral understanding?

[AllPurposeAtheist]

So yes, morals don't differ from time to time and place to place.  And homo heidelbergensis was capable of our moral understanding?

I'm sure they understood morality,  but I kinda doubt when they raided the next hamlet over they brought roses for the ladies,.

[Moriarty]

I do not doubt the validity of this article at all.

There is a definite reason a percent of people of Scandinavian decent are immune to HIV infection. One theory suggests resistance built up to the bubonic plague while another suggests inter breeding of species similar to the OP. I wouldn't doubt either. I'm sure there are others.

I have read of ancient viral infections that have become important parts of the human gene sequence over time.

Personally, I don't ever discount what evolution could lead to.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I seldom get viral infections probably due to exposure to all kinds of crap growing up,  but also the fact that my family is a hodgepodge of different ethnicities.

[Moriarty]

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2 ... izophrenia

"8 Percent of Human Genome Was Inserted By Virus, and May Cause Schizophrenia"

Now that's some serious interbreeding~