Homo erectus teeth offer new clues about human evolutionary tree
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- Scientists have extracted ancient proteins from six Homo erectus teeth found in China, revealing a molecular link between Homo erectus and later human species, including Homo sapiens.
- The study found two amino acid variants shared among the teeth, one previously unknown and another also found in Denisovans and some modern humans, suggesting interbreeding between Homo erectus, Denisovans, and Homo sapiens.
- This research supports the view of human evolution in Asia as a complex network of overlapping populations rather than isolated branches, with Denisovans potentially inheriting genetic material from Homo erectus.
- The protein analysis also enabled researchers to determine the sex of the fossils, identifying five males and one female, using a sex-specific marker on the Y chromosome.
- While the findings mark significant progress, scientists note that only DNA analysis can provide detailed insights into Homo erectus’ exact relationship to other hominins, and questions remain about whether Denisovans evolved directly from Homo erectus or coexisted with them.