Ancient teeth proteins suggest Homo erectus interbred with Denisovans

13 maggio 2026

Riportato dall'IA

Researchers have extracted meaningful proteins from six teeth believed to belong to Homo erectus, offering new molecular clues about the species' relationships with other ancient hominins. The findings point to possible interbreeding with Denisovans in Asia around 400,000 years ago.

A team led by Qiaomei Fu at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing analyzed the teeth from sites in China, including Zhoukoudian, Hexian, and Sunjiadong. The proteins came from dental enamel and revealed two key variants. One appears unique to Homo erectus, while the other matches sequences previously identified in Denisovans.

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