epoch
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http://news.sciencemag.org/archaeology/2015/09/dna-neandertal-relative-may-shake-human-family-tree
From a tweet by Pontus Skoglund:
https://twitter.com/pontus_skoglund/status/642353130999562240
It appears the Sima de los Huesos samples are early Neandertals or related to early Neandertals. Two years ago mtDNA of one was published, which was more related to Denisovans than to human of Neanderthal mtDNA. This led John Hawks to write a rather interesting article about it:
http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews...al_dna/sima-de-los-huesos-dna-meyer-2013.html
As it now turns out these samples are more Neanderthal than anybody expected, but as its mtDNA is more Denisovan (The distance between mtDNA of Simo de los Huesos and Denisova is about as large as the distance between men and neanderthal says Hawks) the mystery remains. The sciencemag article has someone suggesting that the mtDNA is a relic of Homo Erectus inbreeding. Denisovans are said to have signs of an unknown inbreeding as well. Could that be Homo Erectus as well?
PS: Apparently 3 new Denisovan samples are to be published: two men and a woman
https://twitter.com/irreverentideas/status/642293099650248704
From a tweet by Pontus Skoglund:
https://twitter.com/pontus_skoglund/status/642353130999562240
It appears the Sima de los Huesos samples are early Neandertals or related to early Neandertals. Two years ago mtDNA of one was published, which was more related to Denisovans than to human of Neanderthal mtDNA. This led John Hawks to write a rather interesting article about it:
http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews...al_dna/sima-de-los-huesos-dna-meyer-2013.html
As it now turns out these samples are more Neanderthal than anybody expected, but as its mtDNA is more Denisovan (The distance between mtDNA of Simo de los Huesos and Denisova is about as large as the distance between men and neanderthal says Hawks) the mystery remains. The sciencemag article has someone suggesting that the mtDNA is a relic of Homo Erectus inbreeding. Denisovans are said to have signs of an unknown inbreeding as well. Could that be Homo Erectus as well?
PS: Apparently 3 new Denisovan samples are to be published: two men and a woman
https://twitter.com/irreverentideas/status/642293099650248704