Proteínas de dentes antigos sugerem que o Homo erectus cruzou com denisovanos

13 de maio de 2026

Reportado por IA

Pesquisadores extraíram proteínas significativas de seis dentes que se acredita pertencerem ao Homo erectus, oferecendo novas pistas moleculares sobre as relações da espécie com outros hominídeos antigos. As descobertas apontam para um possível cruzamento com denisovanos na Ásia há cerca de 400.000 anos.

Uma equipe liderada por Qiaomei Fu, do Instituto de Paleontologia de Vertebrados e Paleoantropologia em Pequim, analisou os dentes de sítios na China, incluindo Zhoukoudian, Hexian e Sunjiadong. As proteínas vieram do esmalte dentário e revelaram duas variantes principais. Uma parece ser exclusiva do Homo erectus, enquanto a outra corresponde a sequências identificadas anteriormente em denisovanos.

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