Scientists Were Studying This Ancient DNA When They Discovered A Girl Whose Parents Were Two Different Species

Published on 11/11/2021

At a German laboratory, a researcher is speechless. It’s impossible, right? It appears to be a discovery scientists had feared would never be made. There’s no denying it, though: this girl was conceived from the union of two utterly distinct species. It became clear to the shocked experts that there was no turning back from the startling finding. It was impossible to go back to the way things had been after meeting the enigmatic girl.

Scientists Were Studying This Ancient DNA When They Discovered A Girl Whose Parents Were Two Different Species

Scientists Were Studying This Ancient DNA When They Discovered A Girl Whose Parents Were Two Different Species

Finding The Evidence

What are the possibilities of finding evidence of this? According to the experts, the chances were little to none. Then, in a Siberian cave, archaeologists discovered a minuscule piece of bone. They didn’t even know that this was a hominin, which simply refers to “all the species classified as human,” at first. In the meantime, an amazing story began to unfold.

Finding The Evidence

Finding The Evidence

One Determined Researcher

Despite the fact that the bone had lain dormant for many years, one determined researcher managed to unearth it. When it came time to extract the DNA from one of the artifacts, Viviane Slon had the courage to do it. And what she discovered has shattered decades of scientific thinking. There are interesting new facts regarding how ancient humans arrived in the world. What was the significance of the bone?

One Determined Researcher

One Determined Researcher

They Were Discovered

We do know that a variety of other species coexisted with modern humans on the planet in the past. The first time direct hybrids were uncovered was with this particular find. It’s understandable that researchers were ecstatic at the discovery, as it was a new chapter in history.

They Were Discovered

They Were Discovered

A Story To Tell

This bone fragment has a fascinating story to tell about the evolution of the human race. Everyone today is a member of the Homo sapiens species, which first appeared between 200,000 and 300,000 years ago. It has, however, been the case for a long time, as prehistory buffs know.

A Story To Tell

A Story To Tell

The Homo Sapiens

The Australopithecines were in fact the oldest known human ancestors. Numerous species were found that could both climb and walk on two legs. These Homo sapiens’ ancestors first appeared in Africa around four million years ago, according to a study. And, of course, they would have looked quite a little different than we do today.

The Homo Sapiens

The Homo Sapiens

The Homo Species

Homo species then began to appear, according to scientists. Longer limbs were first developed to aid in running and walking. Then, their brains began to expand as well. The fact that these early humans began hunting and eating meat suggests that these adaptations heralded a shift in their diet and way of life.

The Homo Species

The Homo Species

The Homo Heidelbergensis

Homo heidelbergensis then appeared in Africa and Eurasia some 700,000 years ago. These early hominins may have looked more like contemporary humans than previously thought, laying the framework for later human evolution. Even their demeanor was a marked departure from their predecessors.

The Homo Heidelbergensis

The Homo Heidelbergensis

They Were Unable To Survive

Homo heidelbergensis appears to have been more clever than its ancestors. Members, for example, used cutting-edge equipment and developed their hunting skills. Individuals may have worked together to bring down larger creatures, which suggests a kind of social cohesion. Homo heidelbergensis, despite its many advantages, was unable to survive.

They Were Unable To Survive

They Were Unable To Survive

Without A Trace

But you should know that Homo heidelbergensis did not vanish without a trace. Quite the contrary, in fact. Middle Pleistocene-era species began to branch apart from this common forefather some 390,000 years ago. In the end, these branches would lead to the emergence of modern humans.

Without A Trace

Without A Trace

Evolutionary History

There is little doubt that humanity has a rich and varied evolutionary history, with numerous different types of humans coexisting over the eons. They didn’t just put up with one other’s existence; they enjoyed it. Researchers have known for years that these various early human populations interbred to some degree. However, before the German finding, no one could be confident of this.

Evolutionary History

Evolutionary History

Inter-Species Mating

The idea that distinct species cannot effectively interbreed is not an established truth, despite what many people believe. Mules are always infertile, although the results of inter-species matings might vary from animal to animal, according to Forbes’ Michael Marshall in 2018.

Inter Species Mating

Inter Species Mating

 It’s All About The DNA

DNA appears to be the key to the mystery. There are 62 chromosomes in a donkey and 64 in a horse, hence a mule is the result of the two matings. Consequently, the offspring of the two animals have an odd number of chromosomes. And, of course, this has its own set of repercussions. An egg or sperm must include 50% of an animal’s chromosomes in order for sexual reproduction to work, hence this odd number indicates that the species has a “defective” genetic coding that precludes it from reproducing further.

 It's All About The Dna

It’s All About The DNA

Gorillas And Orangutans

Gorillas and orangutans, for example, have the same number of chromosomes. Then, some scientists believe, it will be simpler for them to have healthy children. At various stages in their evolutionary history, there is evidence that bonobos and chimpanzees have interbred with each other.

Gorillas And Orangutans

Gorillas And Orangutans

Big Cats Interbreed

There may be a reason why some big cats are able to successfully interbreed with each other. Ligers don’t exist in the wild because lions and tigers’ native habitats are too far apart for breeding to take place in nature. This huge species, which as an adult is usually larger than either of its parents, is currently housed in zoos around the world. Ligers are capable of reproducing and passing on their genes.

Big Cats Interbreed

Big Cats Interbreed

Diverse Species

The number of chromosomes in early humans is likewise assumed to have been the same. That allowed for the interbreeding of diverse species. Experts believe that Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthal began interbreeding soon after they left Africa and expanded around the globe.

Diverse Species

Diverse Species

The Homo Neanderthals

Because of this, most modern humans from Asia and Europe carry 2% Neanderthal DNA. You may have noticed this in your own genetic test. However, we weren’t simply mating with Homo neanderthals. There is evidence that members of the species also interbred with members of a different branch of the human gene pool. The Denisovans are their common name.

The Homo Neanderthals

The Homo Neanderthals

The Denisovans

It was only recently that the Denisovans were discovered by evolutionary biologists. In fact, it wasn’t until the 21st century that definitive proof of their existence emerged. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute made their findings public in 2010 after doing further investigation. Archaeologists in Siberia have discovered a new species of early human after studying a tooth and a finger bone found in the Altai Mountains of Siberia.

The Denisovans

The Denisovans

They Were Named As Denisova

They named the species Denisova after the cave where the specimens were located, a fitting tribute to the researchers’ historic discovery. The only information that could be deduced from this human ancestor’s DNA was limited. Another little bone piece was discovered in 2012 during a follow-up investigation at the same Siberian site.

They Were Named As Denisova

They Were Named As Denisova

Innumerable Animal Fossils

The unimpressive fragment was initially grouped among the innumerable animal fossils found in the cave. When Samantha Brown of the University of Oxford took a closer look at it years later, she discovered that it was not what it seemed to be. Analysis of proteins in this bone led Brown to the conclusion that it came from an ancient human.

Innumerable Animal Fossils

Innumerable Animal Fossils

A Mysterious Hominin

After then, Slon, a paleogeneticist, received the bone. For her own investigation into this mysterious hominin, she also started analyzing DNA from the fragment. Although no one expected her to find so much, she did in the end.

A Mysterious Hominin

A Mysterious Hominin

A 13-Year-Old Female

When the bone was first examined, it appeared to be normal. It is thought to have come from a 13-year-old female, and it is only one inch in length. The Denisovans occupied this area of the Altai Mountains roughly 90,000 years ago, at which point she is believed to have perished.

A 13 Year Old Female

A 13-Year-Old Female

The Mother Was A Neanderthal

Slon, on the other hand, was shocked by what she found when she examined the mitochondrial DNA in the bone. It is well-known that this type of cell structure contains just material that a child gets from their mother. The teenager’s mother was a female Neanderthal, and this proved that she was derived from her.

The Mother Was A Neanderthal

The Mother Was A Neanderthal

The Ancient Teenager

“This was already pretty exciting,” Slon told National Geographic in 2018. “It only became more intriguing when we started looking at the nuclear DNA.” Our knowledge of genetics informs us that this material is carried down via both the male and female lines, and it allowed scientists to discover more about the father of this ancient teenager.

The Ancient Teenager

The Ancient Teenager

The Results Were Surprising

“That’s when we recognized there was something a bit odd about this bone,” Slon continued. In fact, the results were so surprising that she was originally convinced she had made a mistake. Had she somehow manipulated the data without realizing it? Or had the sample maybe been altered in the laboratory?

The Results Were Surprising

The Results Were Surprising

It Wasn’t The End Of It

Slon eventually understood, however, that he had made no error. Her mother had Neanderthal DNA, but her father was a Denisovan, according to the research. That wasn’t the end of it, though. The paleogeneticist determined the girl’s genetic makeup was surprisingly diverse as a whole while studying the bone piece.

It Wasn't The End Of It

It Wasn’t The End Of It

What Does It Mean?

But, in layman’s terms, what does that imply? It all has to do with the concept of heterozygosity. In other words, if your parents were closely connected – say, second cousins – the quantity of heterozygosity in your DNA would be minimal. Those levels, on the other hand, would be quite high if you were the result of inter-species breeding. Does this make sense?

What Does It Mean

What Does It Mean

Out Of The Wazoo

And, in the instance of the bone discovered at Denisova Cave, it was unmistakably the latter. “It’s heterozygous out the wazoo,” computational biologist Richard E. Green told National Geographic of the ancient DNA. Slon had uncovered one of human evolution’s holy grails: a first-generation child born of interbreeding between species.

Out Of The Wazoo

Out Of The Wazoo

Finding The Actual Offspring

Slon told the London newspaper the Evening Standard in 2018 that “we knew from earlier studies that Neanderthals and Denisovans must have produced children together on occasion.” “However, I never imagined we’d be so fortunate as to locate a genuine offspring of the two populations,” said geneticist David Reich of Harvard University.

Finding The Actual Offspring

Finding The Actual Offspring

It Seemed Implausible

Reich told National Geographic, “It’s incredible to be able to locate something like this.” “It seemed implausible that we’d be able to capture it in the act – a somebody who’s genuinely the product of a first-generation hybrid”

It Seemed Implausible

It Seemed Implausible

We Found The Child

Svante Pääbo of the Max Planck Institute told the Evening Standard, “It is astonishing that we find this Denisovan/Neanderthal child among the handful of ancient individuals whose genomes have been analyzed.” “It’s possible that Neanderthals and Denisovans didn’t have many opportunities to meet. When they did, though, they must have mated regularly – far more frequently than we previously assumed.”

We Found The Child

We Found The Child

It Is Possible

Researchers are examining various possibilities, including the possibility that the discovery was nothing more than a lucky break. One of them is that the two hominid species regularly interacted — and interbred. And if this theory is correct, it will completely change how we think about the ancient world.

It Is Possible

It Is Possible

Interbreeding Species

However, the teenager’s bone, dubbed Denny, isn’t the only piece of evidence that supports this theory. Up until 2018, scientists have only studied the genetics of a tiny number of ancient humans – 23, to be exact. Despite this, at least two specimens in this small sample exhibited evidence of interbreeding between species.

Interbreeding Species

Interbreeding Species

The Oase 1

Take, for example, the person known as Oase 1. This Homo sapiens individual, identified by their lower jaw, is thought to have walked the world some 37,000 years ago. Despite their recent arrival on the human family tree, they were discovered to have Neanderthal DNA.

The Oase 1

The Oase 1

The Interbreeding Happened Infrequently

We’re not even talking about the distant past here. According to a study published in the journal Nature in 2015, Oase 1’s Neanderthal ancestors lived barely four to six generations ago. Pääbo reasoned that if interbreeding between species had only happened infrequently, finds like this should be rare.

The Interbreeding Happened Infrequently

The Interbreeding Happened Infrequently

They Got Mixed

On top of that, the study from the Max Planck Institute noticed something else about Denny. Apparently, the teenager’s father also had Neanderthal DNA combined with his Denisovan genes. And that’s incredibly revealing. According to Pääbo, “It suggests that these groups, when they met, mixed quite freely with each other.”

They Got Mixed

They Got Mixed

That’s A Lot Of Fun

Most scholars previously considered that interactions between these various groups occurred seldom. So, how do these new findings affect our understanding of ancient humans and their growing society? “[It]…,” Reich explained to National Geographic. modifies and changes our perception of the environment on a qualitative level. And that’s a lot of fun.”

That's A Lot Of Fun

That’s A Lot Of Fun

The First Generation Species

Of course, there could be other reasons for the early appearance of the first-generation hybrid in such a small sample size. Caves like the one in the Altai Mountains, in Green’s perspective, could have simply been popular gathering places for prehistoric humans, introducing sample bias into the equation. “They’re the singles bars of Pleistocene Eurasia,” the expert succinctly put it in a National Geographic interview.

The First Generation Species

The First Generation Species

Dramatic Mortality

Was it merely the proximity of the Denisovans and Neanderthals that led to interbreeding? Is it possible that anything else was at work? According to Katerina Harvati-Papatheodorou of the University of Tübingen, such cross-species interactions could have been crucial to survival. “Human groupings were quite small and subject to dramatic mortality,” the German scholar told New Scientist.

Dramatic Mortality

Dramatic Mortality

More Information Should Become Available

Scientists hope that when more information becomes available, they may be able to unravel some of the puzzles that have long perplexed those who research human evolution. Did the Denisovans and Neanderthals become extinct as Homo sapiens flourished? Or did they simply become part of the dominant species? In an interview with New Scientist, Princeton University’s Joshua Akey revealed that Denny’s DNA supports the second of those theories, albeit a definite conclusion is still a long way off.

More Information Should Become Available

More Information Should Become Available

As Small As A Tooth

Even something as small as a tooth, however, can reveal information about human evolution. Scientists’ questions aren’t answered by the remnant’s appearance. Instead, scientists devised a method for examining the enamel of an 800,000-year-old chomper. And the findings will shed light on the status of an ancient meat-eating relative who was only identified in 1994.

As Small As A Tooth

As Small As A Tooth

Looking For Various Option

Experts have known for a long time that chimpanzees are the closest living cousins of humans and that the two species parted about 7 million years ago. The evolutionary differences between monkeys and humans, on the other hand, aren’t well-defined. As a result, scientists and academics have spent years looking at the various options for getting from point A to point B.

Looking For Various Option

Looking For Various Option

She Has Long Limbs

There are some clear plot moments along the road now. Lucy, a fragmentary skeleton unearthed in Ethiopia and estimated to be 3.2 million years old, is one of the most renowned fossil discoveries of all time. Lucy had long limbs and a chimp-sized brain, but doctors could tell she wasn’t an ape since she walked on two legs.

She Has Long Limbs

She Has Long Limbs

Finding Lucy

Experts discovered a fragmentary skeleton of one of our predecessors, the Australopithecus while searching for Lucy. However, in the instance of this more recent evolution, all they had was a tooth to work with. As a result, yielding fruitful results would take years of meticulous analysis.

Finding Lucy

Finding Lucy

The Tooth Have Enough Information

The tooth, on the other hand, had just enough genetic material to assist scientists in learning more about a certain species. And while researching this one dental record, they concluded that the human family tree needed to be expanded. Indeed, a new piece of this gigantic jigsaw has appeared, from chimps to Lucy, and all the way up to modern-day man and woman.

The Tooth Have Enough Information

The Tooth Have Enough Information

They Shared A Common Ancestry

As a result, scientists have known for a long time that Neanderthals and their sister species, Denisovans, shared a common ancestry with modern humans. However, the species Homo antecessor was never completely right in its place. In fact, the later species’ fossils were finally discovered in 1994 at an ancient Spanish site.

They Shared A Common Ancestry

They Shared A Common Ancestry

Denisovans Are From Asia

For example, until roughly 40,000 years ago, Neanderthals roamed the Eurasian continent. Denisovans only inhabited in Asia, and some may have survived until 30,000 to 15,000 years ago. However, Homo antecessors lived far earlier – estimates place them in Western Europe between 1.2 million and 800,000 years ago.

Denisovans Are From Asia

Denisovans Are From Asia

The Remains Of Homo Antecessor

Paleoanthropologists discovered the remains of Homo antecessor during a dig in the Sierra de Atapuerca region of Spain. The team, which included José Mara Bermudez de Castro, Eudald Carbonell, and Juan Luis Arsuaga, excavated the Gran Dolina, a large cavern on-site.

The Remains Of Homo Antecessor

The Remains Of Homo Antecessor

Different Layers Of Rock

Gran Dolina also features 11 different layers of rock in the earth, the majority of which contain fossilized animal or human remains. Bermudez de Castro, Carbonell, and Arsuaga discovered remnants from the latter type on the sixth layer. They dated these to around 780,000 years ago, making them the oldest human remains yet discovered in Europe.

Different Layers Of Rock

Different Layers Of Rock

The Early Settlers

Homo antecessor was the name given to this species. Of course, “homo” means “human,” and “antecessor” means “early settler,” “pioneer,” or “explorer” in Latin. The name seemed appropriate, given that the relics were Europe’s oldest. They are the first known human population on the continent, making them trailblazers. They also astonished experts in a variety of ways after additional investigation.

The Early Settlers

The Early Settlers

No Physical Characteristics

The Homo antecessor, you notice, lacked any physical characteristics that distinguished it from other early human species. It did, however, have a distinct set of characteristics – particularly in the teeth, skull, and lower jaw – that set it apart from other ancient individuals. In fact, several of their characteristics looked to be more similar to those of current people.

No Physical Characteristics

No Physical Characteristics

Identical To Current Humans

For example, a Homo antecessor’s brain was about 1,000 cubic centimeters in size, compared to a modern human’s brain, which is 1,350cc. According to the Australian Museum’s website, their physique was “identical to current humans, but more robust.” And the men of this ancient species were typically short, ranging in height from five feet two to five feet nine.

Identical To Current Humans

Identical To Current Humans

Outward-Projecting Noses

Furthermore, the face of the Homo antecessor appeared to be quite recent, particularly in the center of its face. They also possessed outward-projecting noses and hollowed-out cheekbones, precisely like modern people. However, the similarities end there, and more ancient-looking traits begin to emerge.

Outward Projecting Noses

Outward Projecting Noses

They Had A Small Forehead

The Homo antecessor, for example, had a small forehead and a brow ridge with double markings, which was also seen in Neanderthals and the Chinese Homo erectus. The earliest European fossils also revealed that the species possessed strong teeth, with large incisors curved like shovels on the top half of their jaws.

They Had A Small Forehead

They Had A Small Forehead

The Gran Dolina Site

However, the Gran Dolina site also revealed information on how Homo antecessors lived in their day. Archaeologists discovered the skeletons of a number of huge creatures, all of which would have arrived at the location in one piece. This suggested that the species did not operate on the basis of “every man for himself.” Instead, they collaborated to stay alive, and they ate together as well.

The Gran Dolina Site

The Gran Dolina Site

They Hunt In Groups

In particular, it appeared that Homo antecessors would hunt in groups and then bring back their successful kills. This demonstrated that they had some type of social structure, as they divided labor and shared food amongst themselves. Experts could see that they ate wild boar, mammoth, wolves, bear, hyena, and deer, among other animals.

They Hunt In Groups

They Hunt In Groups

A Harsh Side Of Character

The bones of Gran Dolina, on the other hand, appeared to suggest that Homo antecessor had a harsh side to its character as well. Yes, there were cut marks and evidence of crashing and burning on some of the species’ remnants. This evidence appeared to indicate that they were cannibalistic.

A Harsh Side Of Character

A Harsh Side Of Character

An Extreme Step

Of course, in a life-or-death circumstance, the Homo antecessor’s cannibalism could have been an extreme step. There’s no evidence that it was done as part of a ceremony. Nonetheless, other ancient species demonstrated similar behavior. It’s thought that Neanderthals engaged in routine cannibalism and sometimes ritual defleshing of bodies, as evidenced by cut marks on their uncovered remains.

An Extreme Step

An Extreme Step

They Can’t Be Ignored

As a result, the paleoanthropologists who discovered the Homo antecessor fossils undertook some preliminary dating. They reasoned that it was the last link between humans and Neanderthals before they split up into their separate species. The similarities between Homo antecessor and Neanderthal bones, for example, could not be overlooked.

They Can't Be Ignored

They Can’t Be Ignored

Do They Fit The Human Family Tree?

The conversation, however, did not end there. Anthropologists instead engaged in a lengthy argument about where Homo antecessor fit into the human family tree. Newer investigations revealed the facial similarities and differences between modern humans and the ancient species — as well as the differences between them and Neanderthals.

Do They Fit The Human Family Tree

Do They Fit The Human Family Tree

They Used Proteins From A Tooth

As a result, a new group of scientists from the University of Copenhagen and the National Research Center on Human Evolution in Spain took a fresh look at the fossilized bones of Homo antecessor. They didn’t compare fossil morphologies or apparent looks this time; instead, they used protein from a single preserved tooth.

They Used Proteins From A Tooth

They Used Proteins From A Tooth

They Used Palaeoproteomics Technique

The experts used a technique called palaeoproteomics, often known as mass spectrometry, that the University of Copenhagen had developed. This allowed them to extract even the tiniest bit of molecular evidence from the 800,000-year-old tooth, which might be used to link or unlink ancient human species.

They Used Palaeoproteomics Technique

They Used Palaeoproteomics Technique

It Was Discovered From Modern Humans

Experts extracted proteins from the tooth of a Homo antecessor in this case. The amino acid sequences in these strands were then reconstructed. The amino acids discovered in proteins from modern humans, Neanderthals, and Homo heidelbergensis, a species that lived 700,000 to 300,000 years ago, were then analyzed in the same way.

It Was Discovered From Modern Humans

It Was Discovered From Modern Humans

Modern Humans Have Full DNA

The researchers didn’t have to extract the proteins from enamel in modern humans because they already had full DNA sequencing to work with. It would have been ideal to be able to accomplish the same thing with Homo antecessor’s genetic code, but that information did not survive the test of time as well as the enamel-bound protein.

Modern Humans Have Full DNA

Modern Humans Have Full DNA

Comparing Ancient And Modern Proteins

Researchers could answer some outstanding uncertainties by comparing ancient and current proteins in their respective sequences. They’d be able to figure out where Homo antecessor fit into the mix — were they a sister species to the human race, or did they belong somewhere else? Knowing this would also put an end to the controversy that has raged for years since the discovery in Spain in 1994.

Comparing Ancient And Modern Proteins

Comparing Ancient And Modern Proteins

Humans And Chimps

Experts have known for a long time that humans and chimps descended from a common ancestor who split into two species around nine to seven million years ago. Aside from that, they’ve known painfully little about how humans and monkeys evolved into their contemporary selves, and how many earlier incarnations of people and primates lived and died along the way.

Humans And Chimps

Humans And Chimps

Past Limitations

Enrico Cappellini, the study’s lead author and associate professor at the Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen, spoke to Science Daily about the study’s past limitations. “Much of what we know so far is based on ancient DNA analysis results or observations of the shape and physical structure of fossils,” he said.

Past Limitations

Past Limitations

Before Their Experiment

Experts hadn’t been able to look back so far in history before their experiment with the 800,000-year-old tooth of Homo antecessor. “Because of the chemical breakdown of DNA over time,” Cappellini continued, “the oldest human DNA retrieved so far is dated at no more than roughly 400,000 years.”

Before Their Experiment

Before Their Experiment

Thanks To The New Technology

Fortunately, the new technology revealed sequencing that went back further in time than ever before. “Now, the analysis of ancient proteins with mass spectrometry, an approach popularly known as palaeoproteomics, allows us to circumvent these restrictions,” Cappellini said. And in this case, a sample of enamel provided the right opportunity.

Thanks To The New Technology

Thanks To The New Technology

The Discovery Is An Exciting Milestone

Despite this, the project took a decade to complete. Jesper Velgaard Olsen, a co-author of the paper, worked with Cappellini to meticulously retrieve the material they needed from the ancient teeth. “This discovery is an exciting milestone in palaeoproteomics,” Olsen said simply.

The Discovery Is An Exciting Milestone

The Discovery Is An Exciting Milestone

We Read

“We determine the sequence of amino acids inside protein remnants from Homo antecessor tooth enamel using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry,” Olsen continued. The ancient protein sequences we ‘read’ can then be compared to those of other hominins, such as Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, to see how genetically similar they are.”

We Read

We Read

It Was Able To Determine Where They Fit

As a result, palaeoproteomics was able to determine where Homo antecessor fit into the evolutionary tree of early humans all the way up to the present day. “Ancient protein analysis gives evidence for a close relationship between Homo antecessor, us [Homo sapiens], Neanderthals, and Denisovans,” study co-author and post-doctoral research fellow Frido Welker told Science Daily.

It Was Able To Determine Where They Fit

It Was Able To Determine Where They Fit

It Helped Clarify Their Association

The protein study, according to Welker, helped to clarify that association. “Our data support the hypothesis that Homo antecessor was a sister group to the group encompassing Homo sapiens [us], Neanderthals, and Denisovans,” he added. This was in contrast to the previous conclusion that Homo antecessor was the final common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans.

It Helped Clarify Their Association

It Helped Clarify Their Association

They Were Linked Together

The paper’s co-corresponding author was Bermudez de Castro, who was one of the first paleoanthropologists to discover the earliest vestiges of Homo antecessor. “I am pleased that the protein analysis shows that Homo antecessor species may be closely linked to Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans,” he stated.

They Were Linked Together

They Were Linked Together

Their Traits Were All Similar

It was especially thrilling given how much earlier Homo antecessor appeared than Neanderthals and Denisovans. “The traits shared by Homo antecessor with these hominins certainly appeared considerably earlier than previously imagined,” Bermudez de Castro continued. As a result, Homo antecessor would constitute a founding species of the rising humanity, which would include Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans.”

Their Traits Were All Similar

Their Traits Were All Similar

A Groundbreaking Result

Of course, the groundbreaking findings were only the beginning for the researchers behind this landmark effort. After all, the University of Copenhagen team stated that they intend to further expand their protein-extracting technology in order to re-evaluate other fossils and bones. After all, those relics might have additional knowledge to impart.

A Groundbreaking Result

A Groundbreaking Result

Incredibly Exciting

The bone-centric research, according to Cappellini, “would be incredibly exciting,” as it has the potential to link even more ancient humans, from Neanderthals to Homo antecessors to the 3.2-million-year-old Lucy skeleton and beyond. It all comes down to getting the best protein sample possible.

Incredibly Exciting

Incredibly Exciting

Extracting More Proteins

“The more proteins we can extract from the fossils, the more we can say about prehistoric humans, and the more readily we can construct our own family tree for the time since we divided from the chimps between seven and nine million years ago,” Cappellini continued.

Scratching The Surface

Scratching The Surface

Scratching The Surface

Indeed, as far as human history study could go, Homo antecessor was only scratching the surface. Cappellini also intended to compare proteins from the two-million-year-old Homo erectus to the Australopithecus (Australopiths), a hominid species that roamed Africa between four and 1.9 million years ago. Lucy was one among them, as we previously stated.

Scratching The Surface

Scratching The Surface

Linking Modern Humans To Animals

The University of Copenhagen had the money to pursue its protein-centric study, according to Science Daily. Perhaps its researchers will discover many more links between modern humans and the animals that brought us here. For one thing, Cappellini was ecstatic. “I’m genuinely excited to see what palaeoproteomics may disclose in the future,” he said.

Linking Modern Humans To Animals

Linking Modern Humans To Animals