Forntida tandproteiner tyder på att Homo erectus fick avkomma med denisovamänniskan

13 maj 2026

Rapporterad av AI

Forskare har utvunnit betydelsefulla proteiner från sex tänder som tros tillhöra Homo erectus, vilket ger nya molekylära ledtrådar om artens släktskap med andra forntida homininer. Resultaten pekar på möjlig korsning med denisovamänniskor i Asien för cirka 400 000 år sedan.

Ett forskarlag lett av Qiaomei Fu vid Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology i Peking analyserade tänderna från fyndplatser i Kina, däribland Zhoukoudian, Hexian och Sunjiadong. Proteinerna kom från tandemalj och avslöjade två nyckelvarianter. Den ena verkar vara unik för Homo erectus, medan den andra matchar sekvenser som tidigare identifierats hos denisovamänniskor.

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