A new study presented to the Royal Society meeting on ancient DNA in London last week has revealed a dramatic finding – the genome of one of our ancient ancestors, the Denisovans, contains a segment of DNA that seems to have come from another species that is currently unknown to science. The discovery suggests that there was rampant interbreeding between ancient human species in Europe and Asia more than 30,000 years ago. But, far more significant was the finding that they also mated with a mystery species from Asia – one that is neither human nor Neanderthal.
Scientists launched into a flurry of discussion and debate upon hearing the study results and immediately began speculating about what this unknown species could be. Some have suggested that a group may have branched off to Asia from the Homo heidelbernensis, who resided in Africa about half a million years ago. They are believed to be the ancestors of Europe's Neanderthals.
However others, such as Chris Stringer, a paleoanthropologist at the London Natural History Museum, admitted that they “don’t have the faintest idea” what the mystery species could be.
Traces of the unknown new genome were detected in two teeth and a finger bone of a Denisovan, which was discovered in a Siberian cave. There is not much data available about the appearance of Denisovans due to lack of their fossils' availability, but the geneticists and researchers succeeded in arranging their entire genome very precisely.
"What it begins to suggest is that we're looking at a 'Lord of the Rings'-type world - that there were many hominid populations," Mark Thomas, an evolutionary geneticist at University College London.
The question is now: who were these mystery people that the Denisovans were breeding with?
Comments
The Bible states that the…
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The Bible states that the sons of God, apparently fallen angels, mated with women....
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wassup
“Some have suggested that a
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“Some have suggested that a group may have branched off to Asia from the Homo heidelbernensis, who resided in Africa about half a million years ago.”
seriously?…..
Confused
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In reply to The race of Adam by fadly (not verified)
Two aliens created new humans? is that what you are saying
The race of Adam
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I believe this mysterious human species is the race of human that descend directly from Adam and Eve. I believe before Adam and Eve came to Earth, there was other proto-human species that already roamed the Earth. But this proto-human is very primitive. Their intelligent level is a little better than a monkey who know how to use tools.
If you look at human history, there's a mysterious sudden leap of intelligence that happen around 60,000 years ago. In a very short time span, the human stopped living in a cave and started to build dwellings. human stopped hunting and gathering and started to do agriculture. Human arts changed from a simple drawings on the cave wall into an elaborate drawings and carvings. They also started to adopt religion and culture.
What I think happen is around 60,000 years ago is Adam and Eve came to Earth. Soon, their descendents started to grew in numbers and they started to expand. They began to made contact with the proto-human species. This descendents of Adam, gifted with intelligence, started to teach this proto-humans agriculture, architecture, religion, culture etc. Soon they started to live together and interbred. And so the modern human came to being, with the Adam race being this mysterious human species.